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i-will-physically-fight-you · 4 years

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Till The Sun Is in the Sky Fanfic

Title: Till The Sun is in the Sky Fanfic

Summary: Roman is a genie who has granted wishes for over a millennia. The only reason he’d be eager to serve his next master is for a chance to briefly escape the lamp’s darkness. Not for a chance at freedom--for that’s just wishful thinking and he knows what that all entails.

Or at least that’s his assumption until he meets Patton, the newest master of his lamp.

Pairing: platonic royality

Word-Count: 3.9k

Warnings: Crying, Fear, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending

This set in the same ‘verse as When the Blazing Sun Is Gone but you don’t need to read that fic to understand this one. @delimeful requested seeing Roman’s/Logan’s role in the AU as part of my follower milestone celebration and so I went with Roman. Also huge thanks to @stillebesat who beta-read two different drafts of this fic and offered valuable input, I appreciate it! <3

He didn't know how long it had been since his last Master had thrown the lamp into the sea. It didn't matter really. Minutes, years, centuries...it didn't. Because he knew his next master would be the same as the last six hundred. Selfish, full of empty promises of freedom that never came to pass.

No, the only reason why he would ever be eager to come out of the lamp to serve his six hundredth and one master would be for those precious moments to get out of the darkness.

Some of his more inquisitive masters would ask him what it felt like to have one’s soul crammed into a lamp.

He always laughed it off and made a joke about how it made for a great napping place.

But the truth was far from it. He knew it was silly, but he feared the darkness. He feared its loneliness, feared no one would ever find his lamp again and he’d be stuck there forever.

He never told them how many times he uselessly fought against the magic barriers, hoping beyond hope to find a defect in the spell that bound him there. He didn’t tell them how much he feared them being the last master he ever had—not because they freed him but because his lamp never found another master to serve. Worse yet, his lamp shattering.

His soul was bound to the lamp and if it broke--then his soul would split into a thousand pieces along with it. Suffice to say, it was not a happy fate and not something happy to dwell on.

So he sang instead. His voice filling up the lamp, bouncing all around him. He could pretend someone was with him, that way, singing alongside him. He sang the few songs he knew and then some. He made up songs, even, about anything his mind could dwell on. He was halfway through singing about a gallant knight when a pair of hands made contact with the lamp.

A new master; both relief and trepidation hit him at once. Relief that he’d be free from the darkness once more. Trepidation in knowing that it was only a fleeting temporary respite from it.

That was quite alright. After all, his new master was probably someone in great need of his assistance—they always were. The lamp magic sought out those who were plagued by horrible life circumstances. He would be the knight in shining armor to them, like he’d been to many others before.

For that was his true purpose in life and not freedom. That was just wishful thinking—and he knew all of what that entailed.

With a shroud of red mist, he rose up in front of his new master. All of which was entirely for the sheer dramatics of it. He enjoyed putting on a good show and the adrenaline that came along with it.

“Greetings!” He boomed, waving his arms around in a grand gesture, “I am a great and powerful genie—and I am here to make all your dreams come true!”

The human gawked at him, slack-jawed. His brown eyes bulged from behind his glasses, much like a cartoon character. There was a crack in one of the glasses’ lenses and upon closer look, the glasses appeared to be practically held together by tape.

The man’s clothing appeared to be in a similar disheveled state—unraveling hems, holes in his shoes, scuff marks. The cardigan tied around his neck looked hardly wearable. Lying at the man’s feet was a blue backpack that the genie wouldn’t doubt contained all of his worldly belongings.

The lamp sought out the unfortunate and if there was one constant in any century, it was poverty.

“You’re…really a genie?” The human asked, pressing his eyebrows together.

“In the flesh.” The Genie winked.

He was well aware of what a fine specimen he was to behold. Flowing locks of russet hair, eyes that glimmered like emeralds, a voluptuous figure. Clothed in only the finest cloth that the eleventh century had to offer. Centuries of existence in the lamp had not diminished his beauty in the slightest.

If there was one thing he could take pleasure in, it was the awe humans gave him before they decided demanding for wishes. It usually lasted for only about five seconds. But during those five seconds, he could pretend that they were actually ecstatic to see him.

“What’s your name?”

He startled at those words.

“Pardon?” He asked, tilting his head backwards.

The last thing the Genie had been expecting, was those words to come out of his mouth. No one ever bothered to ask for his name. It was as though they assumed their wish-granting cosmic vending machine had no name. Or was indeed a living being with thoughts and feelings for that matter. They always started demanding rules and stipulations for their wishes as fast as they could.

“I’m sorry!” The human cried, wringing his hands together, “that was rude of me to ask without introducing myself first.”

He held out a hand, beaming, “I’m Patton! What’s your name?”

“I…” He stared down at the man’s hand, “My name?”

“Oh,” Patton’s eyes widened, “do you not have a name?”

The Genie looked away. He did once have a name, long ago before he inhabited the lamp. He couldn’t remember it. A strained, lilted laugh broke from his lips, not assuaging Patton’s concerns in the slightest.

How could he forget his own name? Names were important—special. Names had power. Names were a person’s identity. How could he let that damn lamp take something so precious away from him? It’d already taken everything else away—what more could it take?

“I can’t seem to recall it,” He shook his head, before desperately trying to change the subject, “But enough about my fabulous self! I’m here to grant you not one, not two, but three! Three wishes of immeasurable power! Say the magic word, and I’ll spin your dreams into reality.”

He expected Patton to forget the name nonsense entirely at the mention of wishes. Surely, the man had unfulfilled desires—everyone always possessed those. Instead, the man slowly shook his head.

“I can help you find a new name, if you’d like.” He offered, a smile softly framing his face.

The Genie blinked, “You wish to give me a new name?”

He could not make heads nor tails of this strange human. He scarcely knew Patton for a single minute, but his aura oozed nothing but positivity. Still, it was an odd waste of a wish, if you asked him. He’d hate to see someone so good and in need of his cosmic help squander a wish like that.

“No,” Patton said, laughing, “I want to help you find a new name.”

Patton sat down on the beach, the lamp by his side. The human looked up at him and patted the space next to him. Reluctantly, the Genie joined him.

“How does the name Daniel sound to you?” Patton asked.

Daniel. One of his more unpleasant masters went by that name. The genie made a face before shaking his head.

“That’s okay! What about Philip then?”

“Phiiiilip…” He drew out the consonants, testing how they felt against the roof of his mouth, “What do you think, dear Patton? Do I look like a Philip to you?”

“Well, you’re very princely-looking, and I’d say Philip is a very princely name!” The man giggled, “but as long as you love it—I’ll love it as well!”

The Genie hesitated. As much as he liked the name—it didn’t quite scream him. It didn’t encompass his whole being. Philip felt as tight and constraining as his lamp. The genie could lie and tell Patton he liked it just to move on from this whole naming business. His purpose here was supposed to be focused on the wish-bearer and not him, the wish-granter.

However, as he looked upon Patton’s earnest gaze he found himself unable to lie to him.

“I am afraid that I’m not entirely in love with the idea of Philip.” He admittedly with a great sigh.

“That’s alright! We just gotta keep trying then!” Patton declared, undeterred.

He continued listing off names, but none of them seemed to satisfy the Genie. The latter of whom grew despondent that they’d never find the perfect name. There were millions of names in the world, yet none of them appealed to him. He voiced this to Patton, who refused to give up hope that easily and urged him to keep trying.

“Hmm…oh! What about Roman?” Patton asked, “I knew a guy back in high school named Roman. He did theatre.”

Something sparked within the hollow cavity of the Genie’s chest.

“Theatre? As in acting out a story in front of an audience?” The Genie asked, his eyes lit bright with wonder.

He’d never seen a play before. His masters never bothered taking him to events like that. Instead he’d remain in their household, his lamp sitting on a shelf or hidden in a cabinet. Like a jar of quarters to use on a rainy day. He could only manifest within twenty-five yards around his lamp, leaving him unable to sneak off and enjoy something like a theatre show.

But what little he heard of them reminded him greatly of the bards of his time. They used to travel all over, singing sweetly in poetic verse of great heroes and terrifying monsters. He’d always loved watching a bard perform. He almost ran off and became a bard himself before he ended up stuck inside the lamp.

“Yup! He played Lumiere in our production of Beauty and the Beast.”

The names of the character and story were unfamiliar to him. But the Genie could tell by Patton’s phrasing that it had been an important role.

“Roo-man,” He tried, liking how it sounded on his lips, “Roman, Roman, Romaaaaaaaaaaan!”

Patton giggled as the Genie held out the name for as long as he could.

Roman. It was bold, it was brash, it was perfect. Not too snug, not too loose—it fit him just right.

“Well then,” He said, clearing his throat, “I’d be honored to go by the name of such a great bard!”

“I’m happy to hear that!” Patton beamed, “We should go celebrate!”

The human stood up, stuffing the lamp into his backpack in the process. He offered a hand towards the Genie—or rather Roman.

“Celebrate?” Roman questioned, as he accepted Patton’s hand, “Don’t you want your three wishes—"

“That can wait for later,” Patton said as he pulled Roman onto his feet with ease, “what’s important right now is celebrating your new name—with ice cream! I know just the place!”

“Forgive me for asking, but what is ice cream?”

“You don’t know what ice cream is?” Patton gasped, a determined look settling onto his features, “we’ll definitely have to fix that!”

He took hold of Roman’s hand—and marched towards the direction of the ice cream stand. Roman, bemused by the human, laughed as he allowed himself to be tugged along by Patton. He didn’t know why Patton was so concerned about his wellbeing but he found it a nice change from the norm.

Patton chattered along the way, mainly about ice cream and puns relating to the icy dessert and to other things.

“What did the popsicle say to his sonsicle in a crowd?” Patton asked, already snickering at his own joke.

“What?”

“He said, stick with me kid!” Patton burst into a fit of giggles, and Roman followed suit. Admittedly a lot of the contextual humor of Patton’s puns were lost on him but there was something contagious about Patton’s cheery disposition. You couldn’t help but want to laugh along and feel about a bit of that happiness glow in your lungs.

For those brief seconds of laughter, Roman felt human again. He’d have to treasure this feeling--coveting it once he inevitably ended up in the darkness of the lamp once more.

The sun set in the horizon as they reached their destination; a brilliant splash of crimson red with streaks of golden orange and lilac purple. There were a few customers already in line at the ice cream stand. Cheery music blared. Where, Roman had no clue. He could not see a band nearby. Perhaps it was magic?

“Hey um,” Patton said, ducking his head a bit, “mind if we split a bowl? I’ll let you pick out the flavor. You should go with vanilla—it’s a classic! But, uh you can get whatever you’d like!”

“Patton…” Roman frowned, “I could wish into existence a whole ice cream shop of your own if you truly wanted it. You don’t have to waste money on me.”

“No, I don’t have to,” Patton said with a determined glint in his eyes, “But I want to.”

Roman gawked at him, stunned. What was this human? People normally expected genies to do things for them, not the other way around! When it came time to order, Roman merely pointed to the vanilla as Patton had suggested.

There were tables set up next to the ice cream stand where customers could consume their ice cream. But Patton shook his head, telling Roman he knew a much better place.

“It’s a place my friend Virgil and I like to visit,” Patton said, “It’s nice and quiet, unlike most of the city. The noise can be too much sometimes, y’know?”

This peaceful location happened to be a bench in the middle of a park. Trees gracefully arched over it, dressed in the beginnings of autumn colors. Orange, yellow, red. A warm glowing yellow light emanated from the lamppost beside the bench.

“You can have the first taste of the ice cream,” Patton told him as they settled onto the bench. Roman obliged him, dipping his spoon a little in the white substance and bringing it to his mouth. He blinked. It was colder than he expected. But not unpleasantly so. It was a smooth, sweet texture.

“What do you think?” Patton asked, practically bouncing in his seat.

“It’s--it’s absolutely divine!” Roman exclaimed, his eyes flickered down to the ice cream, “May I…?”

“Of course!” Patton grinned. Roman took another spoonful, savoring the taste longer this time. They took turns finishing it off as they continued to converse.

Roman wasn’t used to talking. Sure, he talked plenty over the centuries, but his conversations with his masters revolved strictly around wish-granting. Mundane conversations about the weather were anything but mundane to the genie.

“What’s your favorite animal?” Patton asked, swinging his legs back and forth in a careless manner.

“Dogs—they are lovable, loyal creatures and mankind is undeserving of their affections.” Roman declared.

“Dogs are my favorite too!” Patton giggled, “Oh! And so are cats, horses, lizards, lions and tigers and bears—oh my! Elephants, giraffes, hippos—”

“So all of them are your favorite, I take it?”

“I guess you could say that,” Patton sheepishly grinned, “I wanted to be a veterinarian be—before—”

The human inhaled shakily, the smile slipping off his face. Instead of continuing, he stared down into the mostly empty plastic ice cream bowl. Something obviously happened in Patton’s past that upset him. It wasn’t Roman’s place to pry—but it didn’t mean he couldn’t help in the only way he knew best; magic. In all his centuries as a genie, he’s never met anyone deserving of it than Patton.

The man had been the first in a long while to treat Roman like his thoughts and feelings actually mattered. Like the genie was actually...human.

“You could still be a veterinarian, if you so badly wished,” Roman spoke softly, “Your every wish is my command.”

Patton flinched, looking more distressed than comforted by Roman’s words.

“Roman please, I can’t do that—”

“Why not?” Roman said, “you are my master—you can make any wish you’ve ever desired.”

“Roman, I’m not your master.” Patton choked.

“Of course you are,” Roman tilted his head, “you are the keeper of my lamp. What else would you be?”

“A friend?” Patton suggested, “Roman, please I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”

“This is different,” Roman said fervently, grasping hold of Patton’s hands, “this I offer to you freely for you are the most worthy keeper of my lamp. You must have unfulfilled desires, something, anything I can grant.”

Patton stared at Roman, his face void of expression. Several times he opened his mouth before abruptly closing it. As if thinking better of what he was about to say.

“Please.” Roman pressed further.

His heart rattled against his chest, wanting badly to escape its cage as he did with his lamp. Like the latter, it was a pointless venture. As long as his lamp remained intact so would his soul. Unless of course it shattered, and with it his soul into a thousand pieces. His psyche splintered and fractured, too broken to put back together again. Like Humpty Dumpty except worse for it was a living death, one inescapable. Yet it was a fate that was inevitable and also something he shouldn’t be dwelling on at the moment.

“There is…” Patton hesitated, “one desire I have.”

“Say it,” Roman said as he bowed his head, not daring to look at the human, “Speak it into existence and it shall be yours.”

It was going to hurt, he knew this. The genie wasn’t the true wish-granter, all the magic they possessed came from the lamp itself. The magic only used his form as a mere conduit. Because that was all a genie was—a damn puppet to his masters’ wills.

Roman brought this curse upon himself—he wanted immeasurable power and he attained it. Except, it was never his will to wield such power. Nay, only his masters possessed it. Only their wishes and not his would be granted. It’d be this way forever and ever, because everyone always cared about their happy endings and not his own.

Even Patton, once he saw the immeasurable power that surged forth from even the simplest of wishes. Roman wouldn’t blame him for it. The human has already given him more than what he’s ever deserved.

Patton squeezed Roman’s hands. It took every ounce of Roman’s willpower not to sneak a glance up at him. He had to remain strong for whatever wish Patton threw at him. In the short time he’d spent with Patton, he didn’t get off the vibe of a frivolous wisher. He dealt with plenty of those over the years. Ones who used the wishes in willy-nilly ways, without any forethought behind them.

No, he’d probably be practical. He’d wish for money, or perhaps a mistake in the past to be reversed. Those were always tricky ones. They didn’t always end in the way humans believed they would.

“Roman,” Patton began, “I wish to free you, the genie, from your lamp.”

The genie leapt off the bench as if electrocuted, hands clumsily detangling themselves from Patton’s own. The lamp’s magic roared in his ears, swelling inside him like a great storm. He gaped at the human, his heart bursting out of his chest and into his throat.

“P-patton, mind repeating that?” He gasped.

“I wish to free you the genie from your lamp.” Patton said once more, his voice firm and unbreaking.

This time he couldn’t hold off the wish. A bright red light enveloped him like a supernova explosion. Magic consumed him, rippling through every fiber of his being. A warmth fell across him, one that he hadn’t felt in a long, long while. A great shattering noise occurred. The light died down as he looked to see the lamp had spilled out of Patton’s pack, glittering underneath the lamppost, in pieces.

Breath heaving, he fell to his knees, touching the pieces. The lamp had broken and he was still here, whole and complete and free.

“Why?” He stared down at the broken lamp, quivering, “I--I don’t understand. You had three wishes. You could’ve had so much—all the wealth and fame you could ever desire!”

“But I didn’t want that,” Patton protested, resting a hand on Roman’s shoulder, “not if it came from a wish you were involuntarily bound to serve no matter what. That isn’t fair. Everyone deserves the freedom of choice. Including you.”

Roman laughed. Except it wasn’t quite a laugh. More of a strangled, gargled croak than anything else. He pressed his hands into his face, shutting his eyes as he tried to block out the dizzying nausea sweeping through him.

After six-hundred masters and a millennia inside the lamp, Roman knew a lot about the freedom of choice. His masters employed it with how they chose to use his wishes. Flaunting it so arrogantly in his face. The wishes were self-serving for most. Sometimes they used it to better others’ situations. But never his own, despite many promising to free him. Because at the end of that third wish, they’d walk away while he’d once more get trapped inside the lamp.

Over and over again, they chose to not free him. Except Patton. He chose to free Roman on his very first wish. For as long as he’d dreamt of this moment, of being free from the lamp, he never expected it to actually happen. It was just a foolish fantasy, too abstract to become reality. Not to mention in this manner. He had imagined a master would free him after he’d proven himself worthy with a great feat of magic. How could Patton think he was deserving of this gift?

He laughed weirdly again. This time it hurt his vocal chords.

“Roman?” Patton asked.

He responded with a noise, halfway resembling a hiccup and a shriek. A gentle set of arms enveloped him, pulling him closer until his forehead rested against a warm chest. A hug? Was Patton hugging him?

“It’s okay, kiddo,” Patton murmured, ruffling a hand through his hair, “let it all out.”

Kiddo. Roman wanted to snort. He was a millennia older than Patton, he wasn’t exactly a child. Except at those words, he bawled like one as he realized that those were sobs from before. Not laughter. Roman couldn’t remember the last time he cried. Just like he couldn’t remember a time before being a genie.

Who was he, without the lamp? For as much as he hated it, it’d been a part of him. It defined him and the purpose of his existence. Now he was free of it, free to be his own person, with his own wishes and desires. But he didn’t know the first step of what that looked like.

It was like he was thrown into a raging ocean of confusion and turmoil. Treading aimlessly, desperately hoping for a piece of driftwood to grab a hold on. Something that could anchor him, keep him afloat.

“P-patton--” He whispers, voice hoarse from crying, “can I--can I choose to be your friend?”

The human had suggested it earlier. Surely, he meant it still? It was quiet for a few seconds. Enough to cause Roman to doubt himself. But then the man who unbelievably granted him his freedom hugged him tighter.

“Of course, Roman,” Patton told him, “I’d be honored.”

With a sniffle, Roman’s hands fell from his face as he threw his arms around Patton to fiercely return the embrace. A few more ugly sobs wracked his throat. How was it that Patton was the one honored to be his friend when it was the opposite?

Roman hardly knew what being free looked like. But he did know he’d do anything to protect Patton, to preserve this kind, selfless spark that rested in the human’s soul.

As he dwelt encircled by Patton’s loving arms, the last slivers of the sun’s glow faded at last, dousing them in darkness. But for once, he didn’t find himself afraid of it.

#thomas sanders #sanders sides #patton sanders #roman sanders #kat writes #i tried to get virgil in this fic #but pls dont imagine vampire virge getting both jealous and concerned that patton is replacing him #or that roman (not wanting to lose his new friend) accuses him being a monster and sees him as a threat to patton #and poor patton being in the middle of it #:))))

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emersonfreepress · 3 years

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okay so is there content that you had planned for the ROs and story in general but then scrapped cause there wasn’t a good place in the story to stick it in? and if so, can you share what it was? 👀 👀 👀

yes, definitely. *rubs hands together* oh man, you done asked THE question today xD I can't wait to get into this 😁

Academics. I almost decided to have classes and grades be a minor part of gameplay, but the more time I spent designing it the more I realized I wanted nothing to do with it 😂 I haven’t really enjoyed academic gameplay in other interactive fiction because I 1) hate having to choose between studying and interacting with awesome characters, 2) have terrible short term memory, and 3) hate school in general!! So instead I just opted to have the MC be really good at school, point blank period so I could focus on social drama and relationships instead! 😆

Physical skills. I spent literal months crafting the catering scene around setting up stats for stamina/endurance, dexterity, and strength instead of just magnetism, confidence, and persuasion. They had their own backstories with the MC’s parents being overly invested sports parents instead and I think the background choices were like... martial arts, gymnastics, and track? But yeah, I ended up scrapping it all because I was spending hours on research about those individual sports so I could integrate them into the MC’s narrative organically but like... when I tried to think of what use they would be in the actual story, I came up blank. Best decision yet, esp since it means a lot less coding!

Skin tone customization. For one, I noticed that a lot of my favorite IFs don’t offer that customization and it hasn’t impacted my experience at all. For two, I originally realized I might as well not implement it since I am striving real hard not to introduce any customization that won’t actually be mentioned in interesting or meaningful ways in-story. I don’t think it’s really all that common for real life friends (esp in high school?) to comment or compliment each other’s skin and like... when it comes from someone who doesn’t share a similar complexion or ethnic background, that type of commentary gets... d i c e y. So then I wanted to be sensitive to that but what’s the pay-off? An RO mentioning how they love your skin tone once? Awkward sentences with the MC referring to their own skin color? Idk, just wasn’t vibing with it. I’m open to revisiting it in beta or something but for now it’s scrapped.

Singing, Rapping, and Gaming as Hobbies/Talents. I feel bad about scrapping these, honestly 😂 They’re great and I really wanted to incorporate them but it just came down to already having a lot of stuff to code. Plus, I know I can write the Hobbies/Talents I stuck with far better. And for Book 2 purposes, as well!

Leo. as @sourandflightypeaches asked me about a long while ago, I had to scrap an entire RO 😢 His name is Leo, he was the nephew of wealthy west African diplomats residing in Emerson, and I love him dearly! His backstory was largely based on my mother’s childhood and the circumstances she lived through after immigrating to America. and... ok, i’m about to go on one hell of a tangent so buckle up and bear with me if you can 😅

my intention with this story, aside from writing things that I personally enjoy (graphic violence, spooky woods, social drama, romance, conspiracies 😚), is to explore greed, wealth, and how the ways people and families interact with those two things influence young people and who they grow up to be. here i go sounding pretentious af 😝 and here’s where I apply a cut for those who want to preserve a little mystery to the main characters!

With Gabe, we’ve got someone who grew up with very little stability or financial security but who has found unscrupulous methods to gain status and money, with both noble and selfish motivations.

Kile has some of that childhood experience in common with Gabe, having been in the foster care system since infancy, but they lucked out when they were adopted into massive wealth by a caring, loving couple—a couple that uses their wealth and privilege to be far more lenient and protective of Kile than is actually reasonable or responsible.

Jack comes from a prestigious wealthy family on his dad’s side who he loves dearly but there’s no getting around the fact that they love him back as much as they despise his working class mom.

Jessie is a spoiled sweet heiress (being the baby of her family and the only girl) and while she lives blissfully ignorant of the harmful source and impact of her father's income and career, she bears the weight of the expectation to fulfill very traditional gender roles, including her behavior and appearance, but also extending to her career and life plans.

Rain's wealth led to them growing up sheltered and isolated but also extremely accommodated, giving them maximum freedom and opportunity to discover and develop their personal talents and interests. However, they have almost no positive relationship with their parents who have essentially decided to give up on a kid that couldn't be exactly the accessory they tried to mold them to be—both in terms of their identity and personality.

Rupan/Rohan, at their very core, rejects everything about conformity, self-importance, and excessive luxury—which means they have never, ever truly fit in with their peers. Going full non-conformist, however, has resulted in them becoming alienated from much of their family, as well, despite them all loving each other very much. Their history with false friends and betrayals has led them to over-indulge in their vices and reckless behavior to compensate for that isolation. Sometimes, they just get in over their head and many times, they know better. Every time, it's just that the feeling of finally belonging is utterly intoxicating.

Vivian/Vincent has two extremely successful parents who didn't inherit but instead built up their wealth and they aspire to be just like them, to a degree that is well and truly unhealthy. Their mother specifically is an over-achiever and applies mountainous pressure for them to follow in her footsteps, especially academically. Vi is completely capable of achieving what their mom expects of them, but they were already an extremely sensitive perfectionist so this has made them intensely critical of themself. This is a large part of why they are such a rigid, no-nonsense person and that in turn has made them one of the most disliked people among their peers—which is a huge personal failure to them since their father is a very well-liked and socially successful person in town.

And the Emersons are peak privilege: inherent high social status, brains, looks, charisma, athleticism, and massive wealth. They could never have been anything less than extremely popular, just by virtue of their last name and the nature of the town's social dynamics and politics. And they do enjoy that privilege (esp Curt lol). However, it should go without saying that being so high profile, even (or maybe especially) just in the isolated scope of your hometown, isn't always a boon. Their family's and their own perceived failings are widely discussed and privately mocked and/or celebrated. Real friends are scarce while fake ones and snakes are plentiful. Plus their dad is a gigantic dickhead who sees his kids as extensions of his own status and reputation and not much else. Public shortcomings make for an unbearable time at home and the world outside the estate is at once overly accommodating, full of assumptions, and even subtly hostile at times—all unrelated to their own actions or character.

And with the MC, I think the narrative will make it clear there are several ways that story can go. You start off with irresponsible parents that have lost their wealth due to their own mismanagement and material ambitions—how that affects any individual MC should differ based on choices and consequences!

So why bring any of that up when I was supposed to be talking about my cut OC? 😂😂

Leo was going to be the unwelcome recent addition to his uncle’s household, the son of a brother his aunt hates for (petty af) Reasons, and she took that resentment out on him directly by restricting his access to nearly every aspect of the family's wealth. Especially material goods and living conditions. He was basically treated like the help, tasked with playing nanny for his many younger cousins and burdened with doing the homework and providing academic cover for his dumb as rocks cousin in the same grade as you all. To sum it up, he was basically a victim of trafficking at the hands of his own family with his uncle out of town enough to feign ignorance to how bad his wife was treating his nephew and his aunt going out of her way to keep him busy, at home, and isolated. This is sadly a super common form of trafficking in Francophone African cultures (although I don't think most people view it as trafficking. and I’m sure the same is true of other cultures but I don’t want to speak outside of my purview). And like I mentioned above, it’s how my own mom's (and idek how many cousins') child/teenhood went.

It’s a perspective on modern wealth, privilege and greed that I really, really wanted to tell. I am confident in saying it hasn't been explored in interactive fiction yet (though correct me—and direct me 👀—if I'm wrong) and out of all the wealth/greed explorations I came up with, it's the one I have the closest personal ties to and the strongest feelings about. The characters and plans I had for it were detailed and I'm proud of them but at the end of the day... I just couldn't find a place for Leo in the story at large.

Leo was, in fact, the last main character I came up with, when I had already designed and fleshed out the larger story and started crafting the timeline of major events. I think the worst thing I could have done for a story and perspective that I care about this much is shove it into a plot that didn't have room for it at the very base level, regardless of how well the character or his story is written. Shoe-horned characters always stick out. I didn’t want to disservice Leo by having him be the character that did nothing or could be removed from the main plot without affecting it at all, y’know? That’s so much worse than just forgoing the indulgence, imo :((

ugh.... Leooooo 😭 I'm so sorry bb, I failed youuu 😥

#lovely anon #answered #hotmess #ok I am truly so sorry for going on and on like this #writing #ch design #ty for this question it was really nice to revisit this stuff 😃#and a nice reminder to not look back lol #scrapped

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violent-optimism · 3 years

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Why Twilight Princess is the Best Zelda Game (To Me!)

Hey ya’ll,

I know I don’t really talk about video games that much. I really should though! Video Games have been a huge part of my life for pretty much as long as I can remember.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is a game that means so much to me I can scarcely put it into words. I was 10 years old when this game came out, the perfect age in my opinion. I think if I had been any older or younger it might have slipped past my radar. Despite the game being rated T for Teen, my parents got it for me and my sister anyway which I think is pretty fucking rad.

Not that we really knew what we were in for, of course. I was just a kid. I didn’t read game reviews yet, and I didn’t have any friends who had played this game so I couldn’t ask them about it either. When we first popped that disc in and were brought to the main menu, we had absolutely NO idea just what kind of ride we were in for or how just how much this game would impact us.

Another thing I’d like to mention was how this game was introduced into my life at the perfect time. My sister and I had just moved schools. We were the new kids, and we had a lot of trouble adjusting and fitting in. There was definitely some teasing, maybe even some bullying. I don’t remember much from those days to be honest. But you know what I do remember? Playing Twilight Princess. This game was the perfect distraction from my crappy school life, and in a time where my sister and I barely had any friends, it was so comforting. We’ve always been close, but I think we bonded a lot over this game.

If you’re a gamer, you know this feeling; the feeling when you are currently playing a game that is just so fun, so amazing, so utterly addicting in the best possible way; that when you’re away from it it’s all you can think about. I distinctly remember my Dad installing the new TV which meant no Twilight Princess for a day or so. I was SO impatient and I just couldn’t wait for him to be done so I could continue playing it.

Even though I’ve now played Twilight Princess so many times that I could basically play it with my eyes closed (maybe lol) I still remember experiencing some of the best moments of the game for the very first time; running around Ordon Village, finding Midna, beating the first dungeon, finding out that GANONDORF was in the game! (Remember I had no way of knowing this at the time). Every big moment, every discovery, every heart-wrenching cut scene, it all felt so real and so important at the time. In a lot of ways, it still is.

Okay, so that’s the personal part. A bit long-winded, I know. I just thought it was important to include for this essay. But what is it about Twilight Princess that makes it so special? Why do I love it so much even after 15 years? (God that makes me feel old). This list isn’t really in a particular order but I will definitely be covering a lot of the BIG reasons why I adore this game so much. Oh, and in case you’re a little late to the party, there will be spoilers. Let’s go!

Darker and More Mature:

There’s something really enticing about being a kid, and witnessing something in a movie, video game, etc. that you know you probably shouldn’t have watched but you did anyway. Not only is Twilight Princess the only Zelda game to date that is Rated T (I’m pretty sure anyway), but it has some seriously dark and disturbing moments throughout the story; including one VERY creepy cut scene about halfway through the game that still haunts me a little to this day. Beyond that, you’ve got painful transformation sequences, characters being stabbed, characters sacrificing themselves, and a scene where I’m pretty sure Ganondorf’s neck just gets fucking broken. I can go on, but the point is this Zelda game does not screw around when it comes to showing intense moments and it’s all the better for it. I never felt the game went too far with it, but let’s say Twilight Princess definitely earned its T rating.

Wolf Form:

I’m sure people who haven’t even played TP know that this is probably the biggest defining feature. In this game, Link gains the ability to turn into a Wolf! I know some people might consider these parts of the game to be boring and not as fun, but I have always disagreed with that notion. I think it’s a really cool and out of the box way to break the somewhat repetitive gameplay of traditional Zelda games. There’s more of a puzzle-solving element to these Wolf sections, and I for one find it very satisfying to collect the Tears of Light. Turning into your Wolf form becomes essential, especially towards the latter half of the game when you need to complete tasks that you couldn’t normally do as a human. Plus…Wolf Link is pretty darn cute! His design is awesome too.

MIDNA!!!:

And speaking of Wolf Link, around the same time Link gains this ability he also meets a character who (in my opinion) is THE BEST Zelda sidekick/companion across all the games. She’s not annoying, she’s not boring; Midna is a 3-Dimensional, fully fleshed out character that plays a crucial role in the story. I can’t imagine anyone playing this game and NOT getting attached to Midna. I know I certainly did. In the first half of the game you don’t really know that much about her, but she is certainly helpful gameplay-wise and doesn’t just give you the same useless hint over and over. Plus, the SASS! My God, Midna is so sassy I love her so much. I love how she grows and changes and becomes a better person by the end of the story. Midna really deserves her own game!

A Beautiful Game:

Now obviously this doesn’t just apply to Twilight Princess. Most Zelda games are very beautiful, especially the more modern ones such as Breath of the Wild. However, there is something about the specific beauty of Twilight Princess that just takes my breath away. The scenery is just gorgeous everywhere you go. Ordon Village is beautiful, Hyrule Field is stunning, Snowpeak is captivating, the Fishing Hole is serene, you get the picture. And to top it all off, Twilight Princess STILL looks beautiful even after all these years. The graphics have aged really well which is certainly no hindrance. As a kid I always wished that some of the locations were real, and honestly, I still kinda do.

Best version of Ganondorf:

It’s funny; I don’t normally root for villains. I tend to gravitate towards more heroic characters or characters that are more similar to me. Ganondorf is certainly the exception; specifically the Ganondorf that we see in Twilight Princess. I remember being SO EXCITED when he first appeared in a cut scene after Arbiter’s Grounds. I don’t know if it’s the way he was introduced, the raspy laugh, or his character design, but I LOVE Ganondorf in this game. He is just so bad-ass, so cool, my only wish is that we saw a little bit more of him in TP. Regardless, every time he shows up in the game, he is a formidable and dominating screen presence. And I feel no shame whatsoever admitting that 10 year old Sam developed a massive crush on this Ganondorf. Is that weird? I dunno, but either way he is just so cool as well as a fantastic addition to an already perfect game.

The Soundtrack:

Again, it’s not unusual for a Zelda game to have a really fantastic soundtrack. The series has always had amazing music since the very first game. However, the music in Twilight Princess continues to entrance me even to this day. The Main Menu theme? Amazing. Midna’s theme? Amazing. Lake Hylia? Amazing. And don’t even get me started on those beautiful Wolf Songs you sing throughout the game. It’s just a beautiful soundtrack. To say it’s nostalgic for me is a massive understatement.

Dungeon Design:

Unsurprisingly, most Zelda games tend to recycle the same temple themes over and over again. You got your forest temple, your fire temple, water, desert, time, etc. These are definitely present in Twilight Princess, but there’s something about the way they’re designed and the way you move through them that just feels so unique and wonderful. I won’t name them but I’ve played other Zelda games where the dungeons felt like a horrible, tedious chore. With TP, I never felt that was the case. Every Dungeon is packed full of secrets, with plenty of interesting set pieces to explore. Even the water temple (YES, the Water Temple!) is enjoyable to play through. The Dungeons have tons of replay value as well, meaning that you can return later and find special items that you weren’t able to access before.

And just as a fun bonus, here’s my top nine list for the Twilight Princess Dungeon’s:

9) City in the Sky

8) Palace of Twilight

7) Hyrule Castle

6) Temple of Time

5) Lakebed Temple

4) Forest Temple

3) Snowpeak Ruins

2) Goron Mines

1) Arbiter’s Grounds

And that about wraps it up, folks! Sorry this was such a long essay, I had so much to say. It is, after all, my favourite video game ever. Of course it’s not technically perfect and it definitely has some flaws. But you know what? It’s perfect to me, and I’ll never get sick of it.

Thank you so much for reading! :) Listen to this track of the opening theme and tell me you don’t feel it in your SOUL!!!

youtube

#zelda #twilight princess #game review #my thoughts

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doof-doofblog · 3 years

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"Our Family's Alright - That's All That Matters!"

Friday 21st May 2021

Hello again everyone! Hope you're all doing well! Today I'll be reviewing Friday's episode, before I do however I know I missed Thursday's episode so I'm going to give you a quick debrief on what happened during that episode. Needless to say that everyone was more than excited when they learnt that Sonia's Dad, Terry, had arrived on the Square! It seemed that he had made quite an impression on Tiffany specifically, she seemed more excited than anyone. But I do have to mention the iconic quote she said to Dotty, after over a decade since she last quoted it, Tiffany told Dotty where to go ... "You're NFI - Not Flippin' Invited!" ... absolutely iconic!! However, after Terry making a good impression with Sonia's family, Sonia couldn't help the feeling that it was too little too late for her Dad to be walking back into her life. As politely as she could, she informed Terry that a simple drink isn't going to make up for long lost years without her Dad. Understanding her completely, Terry left informing her that Jack has his number if she ever wanted to call him and reach out to him to possibly rekindle their relationship. Sonia watched as Terry turned away and walked off into the night.

Meanwhile, Martin makes a fool of himself and lashes out Zack after believing Lily's lies about Ruby cheating on him with Zack. After punching Zack in front of Sharon and Ruby in the club, Ruby puts him straight that his daughter is lying to him and how it hurts that he believed his child without even talking to Ruby first. Is Martin now in the dog house? What is he going to do make it up to Ruby? But also, how are they going to deal with Lily and her lies?!

Elsewhere Mick was preparing himself for court, Frankie still feeling the pressure of her Mum asking her to give a character reference for her. Although I can understand how Frankie must be feeling like piggy in the middle at the moment, she wants to be there for Mick, but I don't know, even though she loves her Mum, she can't stand by her after what she's learnt.

Anyway focusing on Friday's episode, I'm going to begin with Sonia and Dotty. I guess it's fair to say Dotty and Sonia have always had a rocky relationship, they've never really seen eye-to-eye. Does Dotty really get a thrill out of slagging off Sonia? I feel there is more to it really and in this particular episode, I think Dotty gives Sonia some food for thought.

After having a bit of a row at home, Dotty leaves and heads to the club, but Sonia follows to check if she's alright, it here that Dotty admits to her that she'd give anything to have one last chat with her Dad, how can she stand there and watch willingly as Sonia just let's her Dad walk out of her life. At the beginning of the episode, Sonia claims that she's surprised that Tiffany believed everything that Terry had said about his life, in Sonia's eyes - why should she believe this man who, even if he is her Dad biologically, he is a bit of a stranger to her. She knows nothing about him and he knows very little about her, as far as she was concerned, it's too little too late to make up for lost time.

But I think after Dotty admitting that she's give anything to be with her Dad again, Sonia takes these words on board. I think she probably will reach out to her Dad and slowly begin to build a relationship with him. What do you guys think? I'm not 100% sure whether Terry is going to be a permanent role in the soap, but it'll be interesting to see what he brings to the Square, what friendships he'll make and whether we'll find out anything about is past?

Elsewhere, Sharon has informed her brother that regardless of him not actually sleeping with Ruby, he's not as innocent as he makes out, as he has been continuously flirting with the married woman, purposefully winding Martin up and instructs him to apologise and take him for a pint. But, Ruby seems less than impressed with her husband's actions as we see he has been sleeping on the sofa. As he wakes, Ruby walks in informing him that she's been up since the early hours of the morning looking after his children, almost kind of giving them guilty treatment. She mentions how she was looking forward to him coming home from Dubai, how much she had done for his children whilst he was away and he throws it back in her face by listening to Lily's lies. It's fair to say that Ruby is deeply hurt and informs Martin that he has to confront his daughter and stop her from saying all these horrible lies, otherwise Lily or Ruby herself will be moving out.

Realising the seriousness of his mistake, he gives his word to Ruby and eventually gets his chance to speak to Lily. I believe that Lily is still holding a grudge against Ruby for putting her Mum in prison for something she didn't do, so feels she needs to get her own back in some way. Is she really trying to split her Dad and Ruby up to maybe teach Ruby a lesson? However, even though she's a kid and she's missing her Mum, what she is doing is really out of order, making up lies about Ruby just to get back at her.

Martin confronts his daughter and informs her that she needs to stop the lies and give Ruby a break. But it's not just the lies she's been saying, even cutting up her deceased Mum's wedding dress. Even though Lily claims she didn't know it was Ruby's Mum's, she still shouldn't have done it. This is an interesting one though, who's side are you on? Ruby's or Lily's? As Martin instructs his daughter to be more respectful to his wife, Lily leaves the house without saying a single word, although it's clear she's not very happy about it. Later we see her sat at the allotments calling her Nan, asking whether she can move back in with her.

Of course Jean isn't going to see her Granddaughter out on the streets, but I feel that maybe Jean will start to ask questions about why Lily is wanting to return to live with her. Actually speaking of Jean, I happened to notice that maybe two or three times in this episode, she complained of stomach pains - although she used the excuse of having prunes for breakfast and it has made her slightly windy. But something is telling me it could be more than that. Could it be the cancer? I have to be honest, I am still stunned to realise that no one in her family knows about her cancer and only Ruby is aware about how terminal she is. If Jean takes a turn for the worse, surely Ruby is going to have to inform them about what she knows? I swear though if EastEnders come to the decision of killing Jean off, I will be deeply upset!!! (Let's hope it won't come to that!)

Now of course the main focus of the episode was Mick and his family. Today was the day that they had been dreading, but yet they had all been waiting for. It was the day that Mick would finally face Katy in court. Even though he is twitching his leg with nerves, he's looking as ready as he'll ever be as the cars pull up outside the Vic, ready to take him and the family to court.

As everyone gathers in court, Frankie is trying to tell both Mick and the rest of the family something, whatever it is it seems really important, but she's never given the opportunity to say what she needs to say. As The Carter family make their way into the court, you can't help but feel for Mick as he comes face-to-face with Katy, the person who abused him as a child, one last time. Frankie is sat beside her Dad as she tries one last try to attempt to tell him something really important, but unfortunately the moment is taken from her a second time.

As statements are read out in the court, it becomes clear what Frankie was so desperately trying to tell her Dad and his family. It turns out that Frankie did give her a Mum a character reference, regardless of what she did in her past, Frankie cannot deny that she was a good Mum to her. Katy looks over to her daughter with a smile as the Carter family look over to Frankie in shock. Frankie almost looks as if she feels she's betrayed her Dad's side of the family, but Mick does the most honest and decent a thing a Dad could. He takes a firm hold of Frankie's hand, informing her that he completely understands her giving her statement, at the end of the day, Katy is her Mum and she gave her a happy childhood, regardless of her crimes.

As the court goes into recess, The Carter's confront Frankie about her decision, informing her that she could've jeopardised the length of sentence that Katy could receive for her crimes. Shirley more so than anyone is voicing her disappointment in Frankie, but Frankie defends herself. Do they really have wanted her to be a victim of Katy's also? Frankie cannot deny that her Mum gave her a good childhood, and Mick interrupts the discussion claiming that Frankie did the right thing and he completely understands and supports his decision.

During this whole interaction, Nancy makes herself scarce and gets some fresh air. But as the court is called in to hear the final statement and the verdict, Mick goes to search for Nancy as the rest of the family enter the courtroom. As he makes his way outside, he's faced with the terrifying scene of Nancy having a vicious epileptic fit in the middle of the road. Mick acts fast and stays with his daughter, putting his jacket under her head so she doesn't get any lasting brain damage from bashing her head against the gravel. Devastatingly, the rest of the Carter family have no idea what's happening as they're waiting for Mick to return to give his victim statement.

But Mick knows he cannot leave his vulnerable daughter in this state and desperately calls an ambulance. Linda then informs the judge to read out Mick's statement on his behalf. Now I have to say how this moment played out was really powerful, the words used in Mick's statement were so moving that it brought both Linda and Shirley to tears. But hearing these words about how much he was made to feel embarrassed and how it affected his anxiety and relationships with his family, he claims that without Linda and the strength of his family he wouldn't have been able to carry on. While hearing these words, Mick stays with his Nancy until she slowly comes round from her seizure.

Eventually Nancy is helped by paramedics and she slowly comes round from her horrific seizure. Together they walk back into the courtroom, just in time to hear the sentence Katy is given. A total of 10 years in prison! Now I have to be honest, how this episode ended was absolutely perfect, touching and powerful. As the Carter's leave the court and step out into the fresh air, Mick grabs each daughter, Frankie and Nancy, from both sides and hold them ever so tightly. The air is blue and bright, the birds are singing and Mick takes huge breath in. I absolutely LOVE that Julia's Theme was used for this ending, after a horrendous couple of months that Mick has had to endure, it's all over. Katy has been put away for her crimes of child sexual abuse and Mick can now sleep easy knowing justice has been done.

Together as a family, Mick, Linda, Shirley, Nancy and Frankie leave the court together. A untied front showing full well that nothing could ever bring The Carter Family down! With Katy now behind bars, the can carry on with their lives as a family. An absolutely beautiful and moving ending to a deeply devastating storyline! I can't applaud everyone enough for their performance in this storyline - Danny Dyer, Kellie Bright, Rose Ayling-Ellis, Linda Henry and Simone Lahbib! They've all been absolutely incredible!

What did you guys think of the episode? Was it a satisfying ending for you or do you think Katy should've got a longer sentence? Did you enjoy the use of Julia's Theme? I'm really excited to see what happens with the Carter family now, I'm hoping and praying that Frankie will now become a firm member of the Carter family. Thank you all for reading! Please feel free to leave me any comments or messages regarding any of the current storylines happening in EastEnders right now. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Love you all xXx

#eastenders #soniafowler #tiffanybutcher #dottycotton #terrycant #sharonwatts #zackhudson #martinfowler #rubyfowler #lilyslater #jeanslater #mickcarter #lindacarter #shirleycarter #nancycarter #frankielewis #katylewis #soapblog #soapfan

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ploppythespaceship · 4 years

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In Defense of Will Riker

Riker gets such an unfair reputation in the Star Trek fandom. So many people genuinely can’t stand the guy, which is their right. He can be a somewhat boring character with a strange and even nonexistent character arc. But a lot of this dislike stems from the idea that Riker is a sexist, misogynistic creep who is actively trying to get into the pants of every woman he meets. Which is so far from the truth, I don’t understand how it’s still the perception.

First of all, we’ve done this song and dance with Kirk before. Enjoying dating and sex does not make someone a creep. If everyone involved is a consenting adult, it shouldn’t matter who you’re dating and/or sleeping with.

Secondly, TNG goes out of its way to show that Riker is a great guy. If you actually go through his episodes and look at how he treats both the women he works with and the women he’s interested in, you’ll see that he always treats them with respect. And in instances where he has an easy opportunity to take advantage, he never does it. Because Will Riker is a gentleman who drinks his respect women juice.

I’m so sick of this argument that under the cut I’ve compiled all of Riker’s important relationships with women on the show to demonstrate exactly what I mean.

I pulled most of these from the relationships section of Riker’s Memory-Alpha page, which is pretty thorough, and a few just from memory since I rewatched the whole show pretty recently. I don’t think anything relevant has been left out, but feel free to let me know if you think of something else. I’m all for some civil discussion of these things! Emphasis on civil.

Deanna Troi

Starting with the big one! The very first episode establishes that they have a romantic history, and have since split up. The details of their relationship are pretty scarce, but it’s clear that they had an intense, intimate connection. Initially they’re awkward but professional around one another, and this eventually softens into genuine friendship. They are close, possibly closer than anyone else on the ship. But Will never, not once, pressures Deanna into romance with him. He is entirely respectful towards her. In a few episodes they’re possibly shown to be dating again (it’s unclear) but Deanna gives no indication of being uncomfortable with this arrangement. When they officially get back together in the films, their feelings are clearly mutual and neither is being pressured into anything.

Frankly, Will and Deanna are an excellent example of a healthy relationship with one’s ex, respecting boundaries while maintaining closeness. The two of them are always shown supporting each other. It always bugs me that people think there’s something insidious going on here. Will isn’t just trying to get back into her pants. He genuinely loves and respects her.

And it’s worth mentioning that in “Second Chances”, when Deanna is interested in dating the alternate version of him (later known as Thomas), Will clearly isn’t thrilled about it, but also respects her decision and does nothing to intervene. When she talks to him about it, he is very clear that he does not expect her to ask for his opinion or for his approval, and that as long as she’s happy, he supports her.

Tasha Yar

Frankly they don’t have many distinct interactions that I recall, but Riker treats her the same as he treats everyone else on the crew. He is respectful of her, her rank, and her position.

Beverly Crusher

Not a hint of romance in their relationship. They are friends with a healthy connection built on mutual trust. Again, he is respectful of her, her rank, and her position.

Kathryn Pulaski

You can copy paste everything I said about Crusher, tbh. They’re friends and quite respectful of one another. Nothing untoward happening here.

Lwaxana Troi

Lwaxana flirts with Riker sometimes. Cause she flirts with everyone. Though she leaves him alone a bit more since he’s involved with her daughter. And yet again, Riker is entirely respectful of her, though he does gently have to tell her to back off at times. Eventually they settle into the classic son-in-law / mother-in-law relationship.

Beata (“Angel One”)

Does this episode suck? Yep. Is this relationship awkward as hell? God, yes. Is Riker being misogynistic? Nope! He actually goes out of his way to be respectful of this matriarchal society’s customs, even wearing an outfit that many in his culture would consider demeaning. Not to mention, Beata is primarily the one coming onto him, not the other way around. He’s simply reciprocating. It might be poor judgment, but it’s again entirely mutual and consensual.

Minuet (“11001001″)

Riker goes into the holodeck to relax, and then meets a nice holograhic lady to help him do just that... and people get mad that he enjoys that? Minuet is programmed specifically for this. Not to mention the Bynars literally designed her to be irresistible for him. Of course he’s gonna be besotted with her. And, issues of hologram sentience aside (Trek hadn’t delved too deelpy into it by that point), this is once again entirely consensual.

Minuet does pop up again in “Future Imperfect”, sort of, simply because Barash needed to choose a figure to serve as Riker’s late wife. With someone unable to distinguish holodeck memories from real ones, Minuet would seem like a perfectly reasonable choice.

Brenna Odell (“Up the Long Ladder”)

This is an entirely consensual one night stand. The feelings are clearly mutual. Even while they’re bickering, it’s obvious there’s an attraction underneath it, on both sides. Again, their fling might be poor judgment, but absolutely not misogyny.

Yuta (“The Vengeance Factor”)

This is one of the few episodes where I can see why their relationship might make some viewers uncomfortable, but I also think it’s the most telling as to why Riker is not the creep people assume him to be.

The cultural and status differences between them place Riker at a clear power advantage compared to Yuta, which makes for an imbalance. Yuta is a servant, and her entire mindset is that of serving others. Having a relationship on equal footing with someone like Riker is entirely foreign to her, and she struggles against her instincts to follow all of his wishes without question. That being said, Riker does basically everything he possibly can to address and negate that imbalance. He does his utmost to respect her and her position. He doesn’t force her into anything she isn’t ready for. Any time she tries to fill the role of a servant for him, he stops her to explain that he wants her to be his equal. You could argue that this relationship is inappropriate regardless, because the power imbalance still exists whether he wishes it to or not, but I think it’s important to note how dedicated he is to not taking advantage of this girl.

And of course, at the end of the episode he is forced to choose duty over love and must kill her, but it’s hardly his fault that she’s a secret assassin.

Lal (“The Offspring”)

He flirted with her while unaware of who she was, and stopped immediately upon realizing. And she kissed him, not the other way around. Just look at his face! He clearly didn’t expect that. He did absolutely nothing wrong here. Using this brief scene against his character is just absurd.

Commander Shelby (“The Best of Both Worlds”)

For some reason the consensus in this episode is that Riker is rude to Shelby because she doesn’t want to sleep with him. And that’s just a complete and utter misread of the episode.

First, there is absolutely no indication that Riker is romantically interested in her. Nor does she does not reject his advances, because no advances are even made. Second, Riker gets short with Shelby at times because she has been assigned to work under his command, and she’s questioning his decisions and generally being difficult to work with. It’s literally his job to call people on things like that. That being said, he’s never particularly rude to her -- at least, no more rude than she is to him. They also grow into mutual respect by the end of the episodes, to the point where he trusts her to serve as his first officer.

Lanel (“First Contact”)

( TW: rape mention )

Quite frankly the next person to point to this episode as evidence of Riker’s misogyny is getting slapped. She. Raped. Him. Full stop. He needed to escape, she offered to help if he slept with her, and he agreed because at the time it was the only way to save his life. Consent under duress is not consent. He does not appear comfortable with the arrangement, and his joking afterwards is forced. So let’s just stop holding this episode up as proof of Riker’s sexism, mkay? He was undeniably the victim here.

Carmen Davila (“Silicon Avatar”)

There’s not much to glean from their brief interaction where Riker asks her to dinner, but again: feelings are mutual. Everyone’s consenting. Nothing untoward happening here. Besides, she’s killed not five minutes into the episode, so it doesn’t particularly matter.

Etana Jol (“The Game”)

Riker’s having a fling with her on Risa. Because that’s what you do on Risa. You go vacation and have fun, and if you so choose, you can find someone else there wanting to have fun. And you have some sexy fun together. That’s just how it goes on Risa.

Also, she’s revealed to be playing him and literally brainwashes him to access the Enterprise. So the situation is not entirely within his control. Again, let’s not blame the victim here.

Ro Laren

There’s clearly sexual tension between them in some episodes, which mostly comes across as bickering. Riker is sharp with her when he needs to be, as a commander, but also tells her when she’s done a good job. The only time they sleep together is in “Conundrum”, when all their memories are erased. Therefore they’re unaware of the context that a romantic relationship isn’t entirely appropriate. When they remember again, they are awkward but respectful of one another, and now have a stronger friendship for it. And I’ll say it for the umpteenth time: mutual and consensual.

Soren (“The Outcast”)

This episode is controversial as hell, and it’s always a tricky one to dive into. But as far as Riker’s relationship with Soren is concerned: there’s honestly nothing bad happening here. He is respectful of her culture and is impressed by her as a pilot and scientist. Though he clearly has feelings for her, it’s unclear if he would have been the first to pursue them, because she confesses hers for him first. Before then, he was entirely professional with her. Only when their mutual attraction is confirmed does Riker actually pursue a relationship with her.

(Side note, that conversation is also when she comes out to him as female.(Yes, Riker was attracted to her before knowing she was female! At the time he believed her to be androgynous/non-binary. Which makes him canonically not straight.)

Additionally he is 100% respectful of her gender -- one of the only people to do that, in fact -- and does what he can both to respect her culture while also supporting her and her journey. He’s genuinely gutted when she’s forced to conform to the expected gender of her society, and isn’t allowed to be who she truly is.

Don’t get me wrong, this episode is a hot mess in many other aspects, but Riker’s treatment of Soren is one of the few things it got right.

Kamala (“The Perfect Mate”)

Is this episode super uncomfy with an almost laughably sexist plot? Oh yeah. But can we blame Riker for anything? Not really. Kamala can read men to make herself everything they desire -- the perfect mate, as the episode’s title says. Naturally this extends to her scenes with Riker as well. She flirts with him, comes onto him, and he’s clearly very into it. They kiss briefly, he’s tempted -- and then he stops her, because he knows this isn’t appropriate and she’s promised to someone else.

Let me say that again: Riker has a perfectly willing woman in front of him, who is literally doing everything in her power to be as appealing to him as possible. She is right there for him to have if he wants. Which he does. And he still tells her no, to keep a clear professional boundary between them. It would have been so easy to take advantage of that and later say she was too irresistible. Yet he didn’t.

Amanda Rogers (“True Q”)

Amanda is a young girl, 18 at the oldest, when she arrives aboard the Enterprise. She’s pretty enamored with Riker, cause she’s a kid who doesn’t have a great sense of what’s healthy/appropriate and what’s not yet. Riker is very aware of this, and does absolutely nothing to encourage her. He sets boundaries where appropriate and is obviously just waiting for her crush to die down, so he doesn’t have to hurt her feelings. When Amanda really starts to make moves on him, he very clearly tells her no. She actually starts to force him to play out her romantic fantasies using her Q powers, though she stops when she realizes it’s not real and isn’t right. Riker does nothing wrong in this episode.

Rebecca Smith (“Genesis”)

There’s nothing to go on here except that they had a date in the holodeck. Everything seems on the up and up. She’s not even shown onscreen, just mentioned in a couple lines of dialogue. I’m just including her for the sake of being thorough.

tl;dr

All of Riker’s relationships are either entirely consensual, or non-consensual with him as the victim. In several situations he could easily have taken advantage of someone, but never does, instead choosing to set clear boundaries. I have been thinking and scouring through Memory-Alpha and I genuinely cannot find a single instance in which he behaved in a sexist or misogynistic manner. That isn’t to say it never happened, I certainly can’t remember every moment of a seven season show. But it’s hardly a defining character trait for him the way many seem to think.

There are plenty of other reasons to dislike Riker. He can be immature. He rather stupidly stays in the same position for a decade because he can’t be bothered to take his own command the way he should. He can be a bit dull as a main character. The way he gets into chairs looks very stupid. But he is not sexist or a creep. *drops microphone*

#star trek: the next generation #star trek #the next generation #william riker #will riker #personal #i spent way too long on this pls validate me #mostly prompted by people genuinely hating this guy #to the point where they add onto other people's riker posts with hate #which is not cool at all #anyway

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common-blackbird · 4 years

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The Poppy War thoughts

Eversince i’ve played dragon age, i wanted more of fantasy (and just couldn’t finish stolen throne... i just... i’m struggling) so i read the poppy war bc i saw some good reviews about it.

The only thing i knew about the book was that it has a strong anti-war message and it is based on opium wars & chinese mythology. (it has actually elements of any events of history of china combined).

Having binged it in 3 days, my thoughts are scattered, so if you’re reading this: i’m sorry. Everything i say is personal opinion that is open to changes bc this book really did hook me and despite my criticisms, it is good enough to read the sequels so overall i can already say that i really like it.

the shortest version of my thoughts on the book is that it has a good theme with a solid execution, but the characters leave me wanting.

THE PROS

Just like any anti-war themed story, this one has a lot of war in it. But instead of going full-on “war is bad”, the characters here are trained for it and while not explicitly want it, they do not condone it. In fact, the only one who is supposed to frown at the senselessness of the war is the reader themselves with some warnings from 2 characters that serve as a call of moral conscience. But it doesn’t start with the war at all. It starts with an underdog characters making her way up through ranks by her willpower. While she’s exceptionally smart, that doesn’t make her special, and she faces a fair share of failures. She gets into a prestige academy made for training generals and such, but gets pulled into mystical world of shamanism, walking a thin line between godlike powers and madness as well as controlled use of and addiction to opium. Once we discover the gods, the plot turns to war and the main character is a part of it. And this is where the interesting theme comes in as well as world-building.

There are three main powers at play + one that doesn’t directly appear in the story: the Nikara empire (imagine china), The Mugen Federation (imagine imperial Japan) and the Island of Speer (the warrior people that got enslaved by nikara empire).

From the start there’s mention of genocide of speerling people and the question of why that happened. There are three culprits: the Mugen Federation that commited the genocide; the Nikara Empire that sacrificed and let the Island of Speer fall under the hands of the mugen, so that the westerners would get involved; the Speerling queen that many years ago allowed the Speer island fall under Nikara and get enslaved which, at the very end, resulted in this tragedy.

And while at first it really seems a simple answer of innocence of the Speerling, the doubt is created by the lore: there are gods at play, and the speerling worship one of the most violent gods of all: the god of rage and vengance and fire. A lot of times, the plot suggests that the genocide is the final result of the greediness of gods and the lines between right and wrong become very blurred.

The main question this book posed was: would you, as a leader of your people, take responsibilty and act in the interests of your people and unleash the terrible power that would create hell on earth, or would you, as a human with an access to terrible power, act morally and sacrifice your own people to the most awful suffering imaginable to prevent the hell on earth?

There is no right choice: you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

This is what keeps you going throughout this book. What will the choice be? There are plenty of hints at what is the right choice, and you’re just watching a disaster in the making, which is pretty enjoyable and incredibly frustrating.

Also, there is a gore scene that is so well written that it makes you sick to your stomach. You can’t believe people are capable of that. And yet they are.

Another thing that i didn’t expect but am not against is that, instead of humanizing the enemy, you get one, maybe two hints that the enemy is just a human being. But in general, the enemy is so abstract you feel nothing for them and they commit such atrocities you really don’t want to feel anything for them. It gives a sense of false security in the protagonist’s higher moral ground and makes their choices all the more harder.

The plot moves at a very fast pace which makes the book addicting. the flow of time is quick, there’s no rest, things are happening one after another, you start forgetting you started with the school setting bc you’ve ended up with sieges, massacres, imprisonments and godly realms.

Speaking of godly realms, they are interesting, though scarce, but the way they influence the mortal realm makes you believe in the cruelty and the danger of gods, regardless of what they are. Combination of accessing godly powers with opium was a great choice bc shamaism is often discarded as simply being high. The use of opium in the story was amazing: it is a drug, it is an blessing, it is an instrument, it is a torture device. The gods are deeply intertwined with disasters, and the question of power and suffering gets into frontline because them. It’s mystic, mysterious and hooks you up.

THE CONS: The characters. the characters aren’t much fleshed out and are lacking dynamics between each other, and the main character lacks credibility of her choices.

The main character is a war orphan who hated her foster family as much as they hated her and she made her way to prestige academy. there are 4 important people that become important for her during the book that she meets in the academy: the eccentric teacher, the famous perfect student that is the last of the speerling race, her nemesis and rival rich guy and her very smart friend.

Everyone else is pretty much a plot device. The problem is that, while the main character is interesting in the part of the book where she’s learning and making her way in the academy, she becomes uninteresting when the war starts. In academy she fails a lot, she needs to fight for herself and find alternative ways when everyone is against her. She’s so active. She starts learning bizzare things and is entering the realm of gods that is extremely challenging for her practical mindset. It is so satisfying to read. But once that is over, she becomes a pretty much passive character that observes what is happening around her and rarely does anything of significance until the very end. What really bugged me was that (SPOILER:) She is said to be another speerling, and at one point that is still only a possibility that everyone believes, but does not need to be true, especially since no one made the connection at all, and she herself doesn’t have any connection to the culture, but in the end she becomes radically invested in it for no apparent reason. Her reccuring theme in the beginning is that she doesn’t belong anywhere, but that is, after a while, just discarded theme, bc suddenly, with no apparent reason, she’s all in for a culture she doesn’t know much about.

Her choices would have made more sense if her questioning and regrets were slowly waning as the story progresses. this is about having no choice. This is about bitterness creeping upon you until you see there’s no other answer but the wrong choice. But turns out, she just suddenly feels angry, suddenly feels regret, but suddenly she doesn’t care, but suddenly she does, and that is a recurring cycle. It would have and does make sense for one other character, who in fact did go through a lifetime of suffering and is simply so bitter that everything he does he does out of desperation and spite without making you lose your trust in his humanity. It’s a tragic story. The main character? The amount of empathy she has, second thoughts before she chooses, it just doesn’t make sense that she chooses the same thing over and over. Especially with everything she’s seen. But whatevs. That was my biggest issues. Even knowing she’s going to always make the wrong choice, it could have been more satisfying. It’s obviously intended to make her gradually enraged, but she’s so much in her spectator role, there is no feeling of actual rage from her.

Another thing that makes it inconvincing is that i experience no real loss from her. She had nothing to lose. The first person she’s supposed to lose was the nemesis rich guy whom she regretted that they weren’t friends bc they really function good. Turns out he has a fake death - is actually alive, and not so wounded bc of mysterious reasons. Then he dies again (which will inevitably result in another fake death bc the explanation for the first fake death was left hanging), and her belief in his certain death made her rage turn towards, not the enemy, but her own comander/perfect student genocide survivor, who decided to rather save an enemy soldier for questioning than let her save her comrade.

Then there was the massacre scene where she could have lost her dearest academy genius friend, but it turned out he was a survivor, so again, lot of traumatic scenes for her, but she still lost only the nemesis guy.

Lastly, she loses her commander/perfect student genocide survivor, whom she most of the time didn’t agree with, but did come to empathize with him bc his story is so tragic, he wants to die. He dies a meaningful death for himself, destroying his own enemy, and that is what hits her the most. Probably bc she felt they were kin by then.

Lastly, her relationship with her teacher is just a moral compass of what she should do, but it’s the only convincing character dynamic that makes her chose wrong, bc she can’t understand him and he’s really bad at explaining things.

OTHER POINTS

the writing style... i like how it’s ambiguous: no clear descriptions, fast pacing, cut-to-the-chase dialogues. On the other hand, there are so many little things that irk me. Most of all is that many times things are mentioned and then explained. like, somebody says an unexpected thing in a dialogue and then the narrative shortly explains the change of stance.

To make an example, there’s plenty of description of what happened after the bad choice, but not once there’s description of what it felt like when what she was warned about happened to her. that happens only after it’s mention in a dialogue. A banal thougth out example: the god tells protagonist she will burn endlessly. Shit happens. We see the world. She meets comrades. She gets judged for her actions. She’s a little sad, a little angry, a little relieved. Then she’s chatting with a guy and he asks her why she needs drugs so much. She answers that needs to rest. And then the narrative starts that ooooh, the god never left her and keeps screaming in her head (even if we don’t see any consequences of her having a god in her head), that she’s constantly in pain and can’t stop burning (even though we are reading from her POV and see nothing that indicates that). I know i should just gloss over it, but i’m so.. needlessly critical, ignore me.

(also there’s a supposed rivalry between her and the guy who’s helping her for the good graces of the commander/perfect student genocide survivor, even though at the time she’s angry at the commander and the book ends with her and the helping guy making a pact and setting aside the supposed rivalry bc the commander is dead. What did i miss. Where was this rivalry? Why does it end with that???)

ALL IN ALL

it’s a compelling story that lacks a lot in some prospects, but the main theme really gets you going. There is bloodspilling, no actual romance, gore, not-very-convincing friendships, monstrous enemies who are wronged, moraly grey protagonists, grim outcomes and fast pace.

#i started reading new books finally #bear with me #or skip this #either way it's just my ranting #the poppy war #if you're fan don't be angry #if you read this you're a hero and i'm sorry

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365daysofsasuhina · 5 years

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[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Thirty-Six: A Dreadful ___ ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina, blood ] [ Verse: To Rule Them All ] [ AO3 Link ]

As much as his job has centered around keeping unsuitable suitors at bay...that isn’t Sasuke’s only task as the princess’ chosen knight. It isn’t even his primary one. While he may have promised Hinata to help better comb through the various lords and princes her father insists she speak to, there are far more important duties on his shoulders. In such an era of peace, there are sure to be few true threats to the princess’ life. But Sasuke is nonetheless ready to lay down his life in her stead.

...and as time passes, and the pair grow closer as royal and guard, his intent to protect her only deepens.

At first, he assumes it’s little more than time impressing upon him the seriousness of his task. He is the knight chosen from his family’s long line of brave warriors to act as the primary defense of their land’s heiress. He took the mantle proudly, and keeps it still as such. It’s the duty he takes with utmost sincerity, even when Hinata insists he needn’t try so hard. But as time goes on, he can’t help but begin to question why, indeed, he feels the need to act so seriously. It was - and remains - a matter of honor.

...and yet…

There’s more, he’s learned, to this princess than meets the eye. As cordial and demure as she may play before the masses, there’s a fiery spirit held at bay behind the ruffles and ribbons of ball gowns and court dresses. Torn between her role and her dreams, Hinata is a somber soul. Intelligent, kind, stubborn, and even a tad bit haughty when pressed.

In many ways, she reminds him of his mother.

It’s led to a growing fondness for the young woman. At first it was a kind of camaraderie. She would indulge all her secrets in him - voice thoughts she would otherwise never admit. He took that trust seriously, and never spoke her confessions to another.

It pained him that he really had little to confess in turn. It wasn’t a matter of trust, but simply that he held little within himself worth noting. He was a simple soldier: a knight of the realm with a singular purpose for the rest of his days.

While many would balk at the prospect of being a princess’ escort, Sasuke knew upon taking the role how important it truly was.

But as content as he was, at first, in his position...something has begun to irk him as of late. Something he can’t quite put a name to. More and more suitors have been brushed aside at his careful discretion, and yet...he almost feels as though something else guides his judgment of the young men sent to court his charge.

And it strikes him as Hinata makes a comment in passing that he can’t get out of his head.

As they watch yet another carriage leave the castle entrance behind, her gaze is somber, almost wistful. “So much trouble over such a simple thing, isn’t it?”

He gives her a glance. “...was it not your request to evade them, to keep your freedom a while longer?”

“It was. And I appreciate your help in such matters. I was right to put my trust in you. It just grows tiresome, doing this over and over...and soon, I know I’ll have to settle and agree to one.” Turning to him, she offers a smile that doesn’t reach her eyes. “How much simpler it would be to simply wed you instead. You who I already know, and trust.”

The comment brings a shocked stillness to his chest. “...a knight is...is hardly worthy of a princess,” he manages to stumble in reply.

“Mm, not necessarily. A few have earned the proper honor to become worthy in past kings’ eyes.” Though at first she smiles almost teasingly, it then fades. “...my father, I’m afraid, would not be so forgiving. I’m trapped, I fear, with a shortening list of suitors. But at least it was sweet while it lasted, this year of freedom. I will treasure it as the rest pass slowly by.”

Since then...he’s been unsure what to think. Had she been serious…? Does she truly...wish for such a union? Or was just a passing inclination, a jesting alternative to the fate she finds herself resigned to?

...and what does he feel…?

The notion kept him awake for nights upon nights, turning her words, her tone, her mannerisms over and over in his mind. At first, he balked at the idea. Him, a prince? A king? He’s just...just a knight! Considered the best, true...but would he - could he - ever take on such a mantle? It seemed so far and above his station, he could scarcely comprehend it.

But, more than that...he mulled over his reaction. He’d felt...strange as she mentioned the option. Was he...enamored? Scared? Excited? Repulsed? The shock had been so great, the rest was hard to decipher.

...did he...love her?

After a great many sleepless nights mulling it over, he decided that...yes. Yes he did.

...but what were her feelings for him…?

Suddenly he was off-kilter. Things felt...different around her, though nothing had truly changed. Hinata remained the same as ever, and at first it convinced him that her idea had been just a flight of fancy. An alternative to her fate, but...nothing more.

The thought left him feeling...empty.

Was he truly to spend the rest of their lives at her side, with her just out of reach? How would he endure seeing her wed, settled down, bearing heirs for another bloodline?

At first he shunned the idea, but...in the end, he just wanted her happy. If that meant being kept at arm’s length, then...so be it.

...and yet...he couldn’t help but wonder: was there truly a measure of honor he could earn to find a place among her suitors? Was it possible? Hinata declared Hiashi would never be swayed, but the impossible had happened before in generations past.

He clung to that hope. He just needed a chance…!

Little did he know, it was fast approaching.

“You’ve doubled the patrols, as asked?”

“Aye sir.”

“Good. I’ll not take any chances.”

“Forgive my frankness sir, but...is it really so pertinent to be so...wary? The war ‘tween our lands was over a decade past.”

“Stemming from when an attempt was made to kidnap the very princess their prince is here to court,” Sasuke rebukes. “Think me a fool, but I’ll not let down my guard.”

“...aye, sir.”

Rejoining his charge, Sasuke stands almost stiffly beside her. Something has been stirring in his gut all week since learning of the arrangement.

Hinata, to his chagrin, has noticed.

“I promise, it will be fine,” she murmurs as he stands at her side. “But I appreciate your concern.”

“I’ll be happy once this charade is over,” is his muttered reply.

Soon enough, the prince arrives, and Sasuke keeps his guard up. Introductions are pleasant enough, and nothing seems amiss.

But he doesn’t trust it.

Otherwise, the day passes as typical for the first of the usual several days spent letting the young royals become acquainted. All the while, Sasuke hovers like her shadow, senses piqued and muscles tense.

...but nothing happens.

The guest family is taken to their quarters, and Hinata retires to her own. In the adjoining room, separated only by a thin door in case of emergency, Sasuke does his best to do the same. But sleep refuses to come.

Good thing it doesn’t.

Restless, he rises and takes up his sword, giving her room a silent check in the dark. Windows are tested, the door peered through...and nothing. But he can’t get rid of this awful feeling, and -

Whirling around, he meets a blade in a shower of sparks, throwing back a shadowy figure. At once, Hinata awakens with a gasp, and both swordsmen look to her.

Panic.

Seeing his opponent move, Sasuke does the same, aiming to intercept. But there’s no time to raise his sword, no time -!

The enemy’s steel sinks into his side, his own dropped as he instead grips their arm. Teeth grit, he ignores the warmth of seeping blood and draws in his foe. They grapple for a long moment hand to hand, Sasuke slowly working his hold up to the would-be assassin’s neck. Despite their struggling, it soon weakens...and then they lie still.

By then, Hinata’s cry has roused other guards, barreling in to find the aftermath. A hand to his side, Sasuke barks, “Do a sweep of the grounds, now! If there’s anyone else lurking, I want their head cut from their shoulders!”

The other knights all obey, shuffling out and leaving waiting staff in the wake, looking shocked. “...my lord, your side…!”

Breathing harshly and quickly growing pale, Sasuke lifts his palm. It’s dripping crimson. “...I’m fine. Hinata, she -”

“That’s a right dreadful wound, sir - we’d best take you to the physician, straight away!”

“I can’t leave -”

“I’ll go with you,” Hinata cuts in, stepping up. “Sasuke, please.”

Looking to her with a torn expression, he manages a nod...and then slumps forward, unconscious.

“Quickly, now! Wake the doctor!”

“Come milady, stay close.”

“Fetch another guard for her ladyship! Now!”

As he’s lifted to be moved to the infirmary, Hinata remains at his side, a hand slipping over his.

“Please...hold on…”

.oOo.

Tired @~@ More of the knight and princess verse. Sasuke's finally realized that things aren't exactly platonic between them...right in time to risk his life for the one he loves :'D It's so horribly cliche, but we love cliches in this house, lol Anyway...I'm wiped, it's late, and I'ma go sleep - thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #blood //#to rule them all [ au ]#365daysofsasuhina

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thecoroutfitters · 6 years

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If you’re into prepping and you have kids, it would be wise to start teaching them disaster preparedness at an early age. There’s nothing better than growing up awake and prepared to face the unexpected, especially in volatile times such as these.

Having basic survival skills at an early age can be priceless and survival movies are a quintessential tool to use in this endeavor, as they combine learning with having fun, which translates into a win-win situation, especially if you’re a kid.

Of course, watching movies shouldn’t replace other “real life” activities, such as going camping with your bambinos.

Teaching your kids to survive on their own for a few days in an outdoors scenario is hugely important, not to mention that a camping trip builds confidence on their capability to be self sufficient, and also raises awareness on their personal hygiene in an off-grid scenario.

Furthermore, they’ll learn to be alert about the presence of dangerous wildlife and so forth and so on.

3 Second SEAL Test Will Tell You If You’ll Survive A SHTF Situation

It’s also worth mentioning that playing outside is essential for sparking a kid’s imagination (as opposed to pecking at TV/smartphones/tablets all day), as a pile of sand will quickly become a beach where the pirates of the Caribbean buried their treasures, and the trees and bushes behind the house morph into a luscious jungle, where monsters roam free, you know what I am talking about.

However, survival movies can be successfully used to prepare/teach your kids ahead of their real-life adventures, especially if they’re very young. So, let the games begin.

My number one choice is Walt Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson, a movie released back in 1960 and recommended for ages 8 and up. This Disney classic makes for the ultimate outdoor fantasy for a prepper’s family. The movie revolves around building a complex tree house on a Paradise-like tropical island, playing with animals (they are friendly, no worries), but also defending it all against pirates by using very sophisticated booby traps.

Let’s move to a more recent flick: Nim’s Island, a PG rated movie released back in 2008 (ages 8 and up), which makes for a contemporary thriller about a girl (Nim) and her dad, a science guy, both living on their private island. After her father goes missing during a storm, Nim is left (almost) alone on the island to take care of herself, with a little help from an agoraphobic visitor, but I will not spoil it for you.

If you’re looking for a good wilderness story for kids, Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog comes highly recommended. Released in 1995, the movie tells the story of a boy and his dog surviving in the wilderness and it emphasizes the importance of practical skills, self reliance and the value of knowing how to survive outdoors.

Cast Away is one of Tom Hanks’ best movies, as it explores a modern day’s man ability to survive in a very hostile environment, yet it encompasses almost zero violence, which makes it perfect for kids.

Everything in this movie is centered on a Federal Express engineer whose airplane crashes into the ocean, forcing him to live in seclusion on a deserted and remote island in the middle of nowhere. This is a modern-day Robinson Crusoe’s story of survival and it’s also massive fun to watch.

The Day After Tomorrow is a catastrophic flick which depicts a world collapsing after the planet experiences a dramatic climatic shift, which results in a new ice-age (what happened to global warming?). The movie is very interesting (read special effects) as it depicts a frozen America from coast to coast, while emphasizing the importance of survival skills in sub zero temperatures, planning ahead and having good gear at the ready if SHTF.

The Day After Tomorrow is a PG-13 rated movie, but as far as I remember, there’s no violence to speak of. However, there are some scenes depicting horrific injuries, and some characters drink alcohol as a way to mitigate their sadness after watching the destruction of much of the world as they knew it.

The Impossible is a very tragic survival movie which tells the story of the 2004 Tsunami that obliterated parts of Thailand. The Impossible is focused on the survival of a tourist family in Thailand, whose members were split up in the aftermath of the disaster, making for a true story of the people who had to stay alive through an incredible SHTF event. The story is very intense and the movie is rated PG 13 due to the fact that it sometimes depicts people suffering severe injuries.

A Cry in the Wild is a nineties flick about the sole survivor (a 13 year old boy) of a plane crash that got unreported. The hero’s name is Brian and the movie is about him trying to survive in the Yukon wilderness by his own wits, as he’s all alone. Your kids will learn essential survival skills from this movie: how to find food in an outdoors scenario, how to find shelter and also how to stay away from dangerous wild animals until you’re found.

Against the Wild is a 2013 “lost in the wilderness” movie following a plane crash (this is a recurrent theme, you can’t help it) about 2 siblings (teens) and their faithful dog. The trio must learn how to trust their instincts, and how to combine their skills in order to navigate an untamed and beautiful terrain. The struggle for survival is kind of mild and pretty boring for my taste, but given the fact this is a family movie, it contains zero violence, hence it’s perfectly suitable for your kids, being filled with positive messages and having positive role models.

Life of Pi tells the story of a young man’s epic journey of discovery and adventure after surviving a disaster at sea. As he’s cast away, he makes an unexpected friend, a Bengal tiger (another survivor).

The movie is great for kids, as it makes for an emotional, intense yet beautiful story of friendship and faith, as the heroes are trying to survive against all odds. There’s virtually no explicit violence, sexual content nor strong language in Life of Pi, while its impressive CGI makes it a powerful movie that will make your kids cheer in triumph or shed a tear as the story develops.

Twister is a nineties disaster flick about a couple of storm-chasers who are trying to build a state of the art weather alert system by putting themselves in the path of violent tornadoes. While you’ll find some violence and strong language here and there, the movie is very fun to watch overall, and your kids will be taught everything there is to know about the dangers of tornadoes (read severe weather conditions).

The Blue Lagoon is a movie made in the eighties about two 7 year old cousins who survive a shipwreck and find themselves deserted on a beautiful island in the Pacific. The movie is centered initially on the basics of survival, but later on it evolves into a love story, as the marooned couple slowly discovers sex, love and loneliness in this incredibly beautiful tropical paradise.

Lost in the Barrens makes for another “lost in the Canadian wilderness” survival tale about a Cree Indian boy and a white teen working together in sweet harmony in order to get through alive.

Wall-E is one of Pixar’s best, a romantic adventure flick, filled with action and environmental subliminal messages, which makes it ideal for the young prepper. Your kids will learn the importance of recycling and scavenging in a fun way, i.e. knowing how to make the most out of your trash, survive loneliness and finding hope in a SHTF environment.

The Wave is a rare Norwegian disaster movie about an implausible SHTF scenario, i.e. a fjord collapses and creates a tsunami, with our heroes getting caught in the middle of it and trying to survive.

Flight of the Phoenix tells the gripping story of the survivors of a plane crash with zero chance of rescue, who work together as they’re trying to build a new plane in the Mongolian desert. The action takes place in a harsh (even brutal) environment, with scarce resources and it includes a self-defense scene, as our heroes are attacked by desert smugglers.

The main lesson to be learned from this movie is that strong and loyal people who are committed to working together for a common goal in a SHTF scenario will survive almost anything.

These movies are good at explaining that a major calamity might struck you when you least expect it but never giving up and always thinking positive is what matters in a SHTF situation. That’s the mindset that would help your kids survive, beside the skills that you’re teaching them!

I hope the article helped. If you have other ideas or recommendations, feel free to comment in the dedicated section below.

This article has been written by Chris Black for Survivopedia.

from Survivopedia Don't forget to visit the store and pick up some gear at The COR Outfitters. How prepared are you for emergencies? #SurvivalFirestarter #SurvivalBugOutBackpack #PrepperSurvivalPack #SHTFGear #SHTFBag

#SHTF #TEOTWAWKI #MARTIALLAW #BUGOUT #PREPPERBAG #USAF #USSOCOM #ARMY #NAVY #SurvivalFirestarter #Sur

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sonitavalentine · 7 years

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A bit more words on Hino bringing Yuuki back

In a sense I can understand why a certain part of the fandom objects to the idea that Yuuki can be at some point brought back to the plot in the present time that is Kaname, Ai & Ren’s line. I can get the feeling but do not get the level of denial some fans come to when they talk about it.

It would be fair to notice that every author tends not only to tell a story but to keep readers intrigued and interested in it by presenting some unexpected twists. What is VKM from this side? It is a pile of well-known events yet. I won’t get tired of repeating it again and again – still we haven’t known anything we didn’t at least suspected before. Major things already depicted get only more details, which is enjoyable, minor things have been loaded into the plot but didn’t play a big role yet (like the one with Kaien and the cure issue, f.e.). And yes of course, something really interesting and totally new can occur, but no matter what will happen further, it only expands the story we already know because we are aware of its ending. Nothing can change the fact that Zero dies, Yuuki sacrifices her life for Kaname (telling, cough!, she loves him, cough!) and Kaname awakes in hands of two beautiful vampire adults who have an indisputable wish to cherish him.

So considering that Hino doesn’t really have enough space for unexpected twists in the past line when will she use this opportunity to refresh the story? Only in the present line, and this is logic. Because we do not know how Kaname, Ai & Ren’s story will end. And I daresay that even Ai & Ren’s plotline is not so vital for logical wrapping up the whole VK thing as Kaname’s one is. Therefore I’m pretty sure that something totally unexpected by the majority of readers will happen in his line. But what can it be?

Let me start from afar.

If we go further in theory of literature we can remember one thrilling thing. I see a lot of fans here love to use their favourite literary devices like parallelism, symbolism etc, so allow me to present mine – Chekhov’s gun. To get it full you can google it – this is one of the widespread dramatic principles in world’s literature, but I’d better put it simpler:

If a gun is mentioned in a story, it must go off.

This means if an author puts something in a story it will have its role further.

Though I do not consider Hino to be a deep and sophisticated author, let’s be honest, but Chekhov’s gun is something that relates to fundamental notions of literature. There’s no writer in the world, neither good nor bad, who will mention something in a story without a reason. If it is said that Mary loves oranges, then she’s either will die eating a poisoned orange or will be made an offer by finding a diamond ring in a goddamn orange.

Now, back to VK before you start asking yourselves how all of this is connected to the fandom.

Though Hino loves mysteries and sometimes lays it on thick, things are pretty simple. If Kaname

- has a memory of Yuuki when they first met each other in the distant past

- questions if there’s a possibility to pull her out of his chest

- ponders if it’s fair not to remember some really important things connected to her

Then Yuuki will definitely play a role in Kaname’s human destiny. And by that I don’t mean her sacrifice, this is already happened. Kaname remembers her in the present, after the sacrifice, so all Kaname’s questions directed to the past will get their answers in the future yet unknown to readers.

If nothing connected with Yuuki was planned by Hino she wouldn’t let Kaname gain that memory of the distant past and think about vampire regeneration functions. If this was brought then there’s the reason behind it. And now we know that Kaname not only asks questions, he has a wish to know the answers. And as soon as he gets them some unexpected twist/event will happen.

I tie possibility of the unexpected event with Kaname and his memories due to the reason that shouldn’t be explained. Everyone in the manga who lost their memories got them back. I don’t believe Kaname will be an exception, especially when we know he used to be a powerful vampire for thousands years. This leads me to an idea that with him it can be much simpler than with Yuuki or Zero. So there’s no doubt, Kaname will remember.

Another question is where it can lead. We know from the plot that Yuuki was very dear to Kaname. We also know that Yuuki cherished every memory of him and Ai & Ren tell it out loud that no one forgot him at least for a day. By this I’m trying to say once again or remind you that Kaname was also dear to Yuuki. Kaname already expressed his desire to see the girl from a glimpse of his recollection. If he has such desire without fully remembering her then it will be even stronger when he does.

Another note is that Kaname always, guys, ALWAYS gets what he wants. It was stated by Zero in VKM 8. No matter how strange and doubtful his plans are, everything goes the way he designed it to. Now, if we have Kaname oblivious no more and with a wish to see Yuuki again - taking this into account I suppose we can expect something close to YuMe reunion.

I would be glad to use such loud words as RESURRECTION or REINCARNATION, but we really can’t guess what in fact is in Hino’s head. This is why the event is unexpected – it’s hard to predict what will be 100%. It can be resurrection (it seems to me I already figured out the simplest way how to do it, but let me keep it to myrself for a while), reincarnation in another life, etc.

Some people keep talking about Yuuki being reborn as a child in Kaname’s new family, but. Kaname won’t be able to love someone when he remembers Yuuki. We know that he’s not that type of a man who uses women just for a physical pleasure, hence there’s scarcely (I would say there is NOT) a possibility of some pregnancy where Yuuki can be born after.

And even we imagine this – Yuuki as Kaname’s child, okay, but who will be Yuuki’s destiny/love in this new life then? Zero again? But who will be occupied with reviving him? Kaname won’t do this. And what’s more to it, ZeKi already had their life together, they closed all their issues by the end of it, so there’s no sense for them to start all over. This is YuMe who need a lot of time to speak and do a lot of things. :)

The post turned out to be longer as usual, but hopefully you got what I meant. If not, I’m always happy to answer your questions.

#vampire knight #eternal yume #kaname kuran #yuuki kuran #meta

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deborahdeshoftim5779 · 7 years

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Responses to “The Marvel of Trelsi Part XI”

Response to this post by BoltonEvans here:

“The biggest issue with Troyella honestly isn’t just that their relationship is unequal, which would be an indictment in and of itself, but that it’s unhealthy. When we break it down to brass tax; Troy’s future isn’t as important as his and Gabriella’s relationship, but Gabriella’s future is more important than their relationship. Gabriella is always right, and Troy is always wrong. Gabriella is entirely above reproach. Troy’s every action is open to criticism and rebuking. Gabriella sees fit to punish and scold Troy when he fails to meet her ludicrously high expectations, but Troy can’t so much as question Gabriella’s failings and shortcomings as a partner without receiving an icy look from Gabriella, herself, and the justification that Gabriella “always” does “the right thing”, and is “one step ahead, as usual”. When Troy confides his concerns about his future and his insecurities in Gabriella, Gabriella scarcely pays his words any mind before bringing up her own (comparatively less serious) problems, as if she needs to one up her boyfriend. Gabriella can toy with Troy’s feelings and ultimately determine that he isn’t worth fighting for, while Troy scrambles to do everything in his power to keep Gabriella content and at his side.”

Great points. I agree.

“Yet, it’s Troy the characters in these films, and, consequently, the fandom, see fit to demonize and write off as “not good enough for Gabriella”.

The fandom’s vindictive cruelty towards Troy beggars belief time after time. I conclude that they were watching a different version of the film.

“Ryan was originally conceived as having a crush on Gabriella, in High School Musical 2. Which, definitely was a byproduct of writer’s bias- two male leads lusting after the same girl? Yeah. Extreme bias. Anyway, in both the junior novel adaptation of the second film (which was based on an earlier draft of the script), and a deleted scene, Ryan attempts to flirt with Gabriella in an outrageously uncomfortable manner by mentioning the previous lifeguard at Lava Springs having awful back hair; implying that Gabriella is far easier on the eyes. This concept, however, seems to have been by and large abandoned in the final cut of the film. Instead, several lines of dialogue, as well as Lucas Grabeel’s performance, indicate Ryan having a preference for the Troy half of Troyella.”

I see no avenue for Ryan having feelings for Gabriella. And I don’t like to imagine what an “earlier draft of the script” would look like, given the final product. What I see in this scene is Ryan walking into a trap with his naiive eyes open, and then Gabriella leaving him to take the flack. He thought Gabriella was being friendly, thought her compliments were genuine, and it turned out that she was a stage prop in a plan to humiliate someone he had no intention to hurt. It’s a disgusting scene, because if you wiped Gabriella out of the picture, clearly the two of them (Troy and Ryan) could have had a nice chat.

Personally, I don’t think Ryan had a more than platonic interest in Troy, but I do think he got on better with Troy than with Gabriella. He also admires Troy, because Troy has what he longs for: recognition and popularity on his own account. I suppose it is easy to interpret that admiration as being more than platonic. That said, he approached Zeke with a compliment long before approaching Troy. (Not to mention that scene in HSM III “I Want It All” and at graduation between them). Anyway, he does not admire Gabriella, apart from being impressed with her academic abilities. Ryan may also be grateful to Troy, who signed his yearbook-- almost everyone else ignored him when he tried to sign theirs, which gives the impression that very few people signed his.

Ryan eagerly and without any hesitation declares Troy as having the “category” of East High School’s Absolute Primo Boy “pretty much locked up, don’t you think?”, a large grin playing across his face...

Sharpay asked him a very silly question, which he appears to have taken literally. His tone is sort of “Come on, Shar, you already know the answer to that!” It strikes me that he is very much used to hearing about how much his sister wants Troy, and silently amused that Troy so clearly does not reciprocate those feelings. Ryan’s later annoyance, resentment and eventual anger with Sharpay for using Troy as a tool to replace him tends to make me feel that he would be favourable to Gabriella’s place in Troy’s life because it means Sharpay doesn’t get her way for once. If Troy is unattainable, then he’s not going to be kicked aside. Ryan is a very practical guy. He looks out for Numero Uno. In HSM III, he does not mention that Troy would not like to perform with Sharpay, but that Sharpay can’t fulfil Gabriella’s role: “You... are not Gabriella.” In HSM II, he pretended that Sharpay was “East High’s Primo Girl”, whilst clearly believing it to be Gabriella, hence that funny stare round the corner.

His mood quickly sours, however, when Sharpay begins daydreaming about herself and Troy, leading to Ryan having to take a minute to compose himself before exiting the school building on Sharpay’s heels.

Actually, he kind of gave her a “get real” look there, by snapping his fingers. I imagine that Ryan is always having to compose himself around Sharpay, given her high drama capacity, and her always roping him into her schemes.

“...takes issue with Troy potentially performing in the Lava Springs talent show only on the grounds that he doesn’t want to see Troy sing with Gabriella, stands off to the side, beaming, as Troy is introduced to Mrs. Evans...”

I personally think that Ryan didn’t want Troy and Gabriella upstaging him and Sharpay: “What about our song?”. Ryan never actually stated that he wished to see Troy perform in the Lava Springs Talent Show; he even went so far as to tell Sharpay that Kelsi had written a song for him and Gabriella, calling it “a problem”. “Now it’s an amazing song, but Kelsi didn’t write it for us.”-- “us” being him and Sharpay. Along with his incredibly sarcastic behaviour at dinner (which was hilarious), it doesn’t look to me like he appreciates what appears to be yet another dinnertime with him being shunted into the corner, whilst all the focus is on Sharpay, and this time, Troy. His anger when Sharpay announced that she’d be performing in Troy was based on him feeling betrayed by her, and the waste of his beloved “Tiki Warrior Outfit”, not to mention the time and effort he poured into rehearsing a song that he clearly enjoyed-- not least because he got to be the Handsome Prince. His annoyance with Troy at the end of Humuhumu was both hilarious and telling; even though Troy did nothing wrong, he snatched the necklace thing from him and stalked off. :D When Sharpay confirms his worst fears, that he has been replaced, he snaps. Later on, he sarcastically tells Sharpay, “But you and Troy have a good show, sis.” Back in HSM I, he was worried that Troy and Gabriella, referred to as “they”, sounded good-- worried and impressed, rather. When Sharpay ranted against the injustice of Gabriella signing up for the Talent Show, Ryan just pretended to agree with her. He also eventually became good-natured when he saw that Troy and Gabriella performed “Breaking Free” so well. So I don’t think that he was jealous of Troy and Gabriella, but resentful of how Sharpay used Troy as a replacement for him, thus making him feel replaceable. I think that when he was upset about the “Troy and Gabriella” show, he was referring to their popularity and how that would mean no attention for him. We already know that he secretly longed to win the Star Dazzle Award. Ryan seems to me to be incredibly practical.

I’ve seen the scene where Troy is introduced to Mrs. Evans, and he’s pulling that same face the entire time at everyone, which must take some muscle effort. :D

then, not subtly at all gives Troy’s behind a once over as he passes by.

Maybe it’s just me, but his cap is too far down for me to see anything. It looks to me as though they’re all just getting out of the way. Ryan keeps pulling that face for the entire scene, and sometimes doesn’t even look interested in what’s going on, because almost everyone gradually forgets that he’s even there (as usual).

The binoculars scene was funny. Ryan looks to me like he’s watching a very good film. However, he is only there because Sharpay forced him to be: later, when Sharpay yells at him to “keep an eye on those Wildcats”, he has snapped and stalks off. I would be more convinced if he decided to keep watch of his own accord. Besides, since his parents own the club, there’s not much for Ryan to do from day to day. So why not spy? :D

“This is veering into headcanon territory, but… if you factor in the lyrics to “Everyday”, lyrics that Ryan and not Kelsi penned, lyrics that describe both feelings the speaker believes they have only one chance to act on, and Troy’s internal conflict over the course of this film… Ryan likely came to the conclusion that he had blown his one “chance” with Troy.”

Because I hardly ever watch this scene, too pissed off with movie events to stomach the sweet reunion part, I don’t know what the lyrics are. This is a plausible interpretation. But if this song is so important and personal to Ryan, then why doesn’t Ryan, who can play the piano, teach Troy the song? If they’d had that scene together, that would have definitely had more potential for romantic interpretation.

Obviously, I’m biased, but I just don’t see anyone having the same dynamic as Troy and Kelsi; and Troy is almost completely dependent upon Kelsi to perform “Everyday”, from what I remember-- at least until Gabriella appears. She’s the one giving him the moral support throughout there. I don’t feel that he and Ryan had that unspoken understanding through music that was shown between him and Kelsi.

What I’d like to know is who taught Gabriella the song. Neither Ryan nor Kelsi are shown to know her that well. Ryan hands Troy the new score and then when Troy confronts Sharpay, Ryan dashes off, whilst Troy is off to rehearse with Kelsi (who manages to teach him an entire song within an hour or so). Where does Ryan dash off to? Is he going to fetch Gabriella? Is he therefore the one who preps Gabriella? So many unanswered questions.

“Ryan never attempts to approach Troy throughout the rest of this movie, even while orchestrating a scheme to reunite Troy with Gabriella (something Gabriella obviously didn’t want, as she was the one who terminated their relationship) and get him performing in the talent show for the boosters from U of A with a song actually in his range, and a partner he’s comfortable with. It is Troy who seeks Ryan out.”

Ryan helping to orchestrate a reunion between Troy and Gabriella is definitely significant and a very decent thing to do. I think it was a completely naiive idea, but his heart was in the right place.

“And, Ryan’s faces during that sequence say it all. He thought Troy would never have anything to do with him, again, but…. here Troy is, right in front of him, saying his name, apologizing to him, and offering his hand in friendship.”

Yes, I like that scene. Ryan does act as though he is meeting a celebrity. Again, I can see how this might be seen as more than platonic.

“He can hardly believe it. But, he’s certainly not going to refuse it. He even attempts to ameliorate Troy’s (completely unwarranted) guilt over the talent show by assuring him, “Hey, truth is… we’ve all had a lot of fun. At least I have.”

I approve of Ryan not taking an apology that was never warranted in the first place.

“I could go on, incorporating graphics from the third movie and break downs of the context of them to illustrate further proof that Ryan has decidedly not platonic feelings for Troy, but I’m sure you’ve got the gist, by now. (And, I don’t want to detract from the point of this analysis, which is intended to be a celebration of Troy/Kelsi, not my preferred ship.) With this knowledge in hand, Ryan’s silence in regards to Troy and Gabriella’s relationship is suddenly painted in a new light.”

I’m happy to discuss all ships. I base ships on their plausibility and level of interest, and though I don’t ship Troy and Ryan, this is quite obviously a superior pairing to Chyan (implausible), Ryella (nonsensical) and Ryelsi (implausible, nonsensical and offensive). All of those three have next to NO evidence in their favour-- I don’t care about “I Don’t Dance”, because it’s a waste of minutes.

I think Ryan holds Troy in high esteem and they become very good friends, which I think is a positive thing.

It would certainly be a very interesting headcanon for Ryan (who deserves a more prominent role in some capacity), and one with more proof than for the central couple. But again, I’m biased: for me, Troy and Kelsi are unique (the “Playmakers” *squee* :D) and extremely well-suited for each other, as well as being reliant upon and devoted to each other’s success. They both have something that they need and value in each other that is, to me, a lot deeper than with Troy’s other relationships with other characters. Which is what I’m babbling about in this series, LOL!

However, I do agree that there are a lot of unappreciated dynamics in the movie series, that deserved far more attention than Troyella.

“As of the end of High School Musical 2, Ryan and Troy are friends. This is not up for debate. This is a fact supported by their interactions in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Ignoring the transparent Pro-Gabriella/Troyella bias the entire narrative of that film is steeped in, Ryan has likely come to terms with the fact that Gabriella is the one Troy’s heart is set on. He doesn’t necessarily like it...”

To be honest, I don’t think he looks unhappy there at all; everyone behind those doors looks wistful and impressed at the performance. They always seem to me to be in the middle of a daydream. (Which they are, because this performance is in no way a reflection of Troyella’s actual relationship). Besides, we can’t actually see the bottom half of Ryan’s face in that pic, LOL! I’d certainly like Ryan to be unhappy with Gabriella, but then his later victory air pump during the final Musical performance would contradict that. He doesn’t even look unhappy when Troy shows up halfway through the musical with Gabriella on his arm, and even helps give them another chance! I wish he hadn’t, because Troy should have turned up on his cue, and Gabriella should have fucked off back to California, since she had no intention of performing, but there you go.

- but he keeps his opinions and personal feelings to himself and tries to support whatever makes Troy happy.

I’d like to see more information about Ryan’s feelings on anything, let alone Troyella. He gets almost no airtime when it’s not convenient.

With that said, I doubt he’d manage to hold his tongue if he knew the full details of the prom debacle.

Again, I’m hesitant on deciding how he’d react, because I don’t know enough about his feelings, overall.

I’m really looking forward to further analysis of Kelsi. You do such an excellent job breaking her character down and exploring what makes her tick. It’s given me a renewed appreciation for her. Keep up the amazing work! You’re fighting the good fight. ^___^

Thanks! Kelsi is a marvellous character, who just isn’t appreciated enough in the fandom, so really, she just gives me the material to explore.

Thanks for the responses!

#Trelsi #BoltonEvans #Responses #TheMarvelofTrelsi #OTP

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yggdrasilbohdi · 3 years

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What Early Saints Can Teach Us about Writing Memories

No matter who you are, writing is often an intimidating activity—even writing in your journal where no one can see what you write! Too often we don’t know where to start or what to include. Or maybe we’re afraid of making punctuation and grammatical errors and looking foolish to someone who might one day read it.

If this is you, rest assured that almost anything you put down on paper or type on a computer will be interesting in time, especially to the family members and loved ones who come after you. And you don’t have to be a great writer to leave behind great stories. In fact, early members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—most of them untrained writers—left an astounding legacy of keeping journals and recording other memories for today’s Church members to read, enjoy, and learn from.

One such early Church member is Patience Loader, a woman from England who joined the Church in her 20s and then immigrated to Utah with her parents and siblings as part of the Martin handcart company in 1856. Written in her later years, Patience’s recorded memories of pulling a handcart through Nebraska and Wyoming, encountering snow and freezing weather, and eventually meeting up with rescue parties from the Salt Lake Valley reads like a best-selling novel. That may be because Patience used some of the same writing techniques that novelists use today, including concrete description, terse dialogue, and a focus on scene rather than summary.

Bring Your Writing to Life with Detail

For people interested in making their own memories stand out, Patience’s account is definitely worth reading. Take this passage, for example, about her attempt to wade through a river shortly before a snowstorm:

The water came up to our arm pits. Poor Mother was standing on the bank screaming. As we got near the bank I heard Mother say for God sake some of you men help my poor girls. Mother said she had been watching us and could see we was drifting down the stream. Several of the breathren came down the bank of the river and pulled our cart up for us and we got up the best we could. Mother was there to meet us. Her clothing was dry but ours was wett and cold and verey soon frozen. Mother took off one of her under skirts and put on one of us and her apron for another to keep the wett cloth from us for we had to travel several miles before we could camp. Here Mother took out from her Apron the bread and molaces Sister Ballen gave her for us. She broke in pieces and gave each some. This was a great treat to us and we was all hungary. It seemed to vie us new strength to travel on.

As you probably noticed, Patience was not a polished writer. Nearly every sentence contains a spelling or grammatical error. And what punctuation there is has mostly been added by historians and editors who helped publish her work. But the description contains so much energy and detail that you hardly notice any of the so-called mistakes—or if you do, they merely add to Patience’s unique style and writing voice. The same can be true for you, if you don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

The Power of an Image

One of Patience’s great talents as a writer is her ability to break down her memories into short, individual scenes. Scenes contain more imagery than summaries. They invite readers into the moment and allow them to feel the same emotions the writer felt. Consider Patience’s harrowing description of a search for firewood:

Now I must say after we got to camp we found we had to go along way to go for wood so my sister Maria and myself went with the breathren to get wood. We had to travel in the snow knee deep for nearly a mile to the ceders. We found nothing but green ceder as all the dry wood on the grownd was coverd over with snow. I ask one of the breathren to cut me down a shoulder stick so he kindly gave us quite alarge heavy log. My sister took one end on her shoulder and I raised the other end on to my shoulder and started back to camp. We had not gone very far when we boath fell down with our load. The snow beign so deep made it very hard work for us to get back to camp with our load but after much hard work we got there. My Mother and sisters was anxiously awaiting our return for thay was boath hungrey and cold in the tent.

The image of the two sisters stumbling through the snow is heartbreaking. A summary of the experience would still be noteworthy, but it wouldn’t be as compelling—nor would it feel quite as much like a story. It might look something like this: “After the storms, firewood was scarce, and my sister and I often had to walk great distances through the snow to find it. The nights were very cold.”

It can be hard to write a scene, even when we are specifically trying to do so. We slip into summary without realizing it. Writing about things readers can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell can take you out of summary mode and put you back into writing a scene.

I will say we traveld on all day in the snow but the weather was fine and in the midle of the day the sun was quite warm. Some time in the afternoon a strange man appeard to me as we was resting as we got up the hill. He came and looked in my face. He sais is you Patience. I said yes. He said again I thought it was you. Travel on. There is help for you. You will come to a good place. There is plenty. With this he was gone. He disappeared. I looked but never saw whare he went. This seemed very strange to me. I took this as some one sent to encurage us and give us strength.

Using Dialogue

As this last excerpt demonstrates, incorporating dialogue into your memoir or journal writing can be the perfect way to make a scene more vivid and powerful for readers.

You don’t need to remember the quotation with 100 percent accuracy. A sentence or two is enough.

In this next passage, Patience recounts the morning when rescuers from Salt Lake first met up with the company. The man she mentions, Joseph A. Young, was Brigham Young’s son. Note the brief exchange of dialogue between Patience and her friend, Mary Ann Grenning, and then the one sentence, gut-wrenching line from Joseph Young asking where he can find the company’s captain.

What a deplorable condition we was in at that time. Seven hundred miles from Salt Lake and only nine days full rations. That morning the bugal sounded to call us together. The captain ask us if we was willing to come on four ounces of flour aday. All answered yes. We had already been reduced to half pound pr day. Well we return to our tents. I had left the remainer of the beef head cooking on the fire. The next tent to ours was Br Saml Jones and sister Mary Ann Greening was traveling with Sister Jones and family. Sister Mary Ann was at her fire cooking something. I don’t know what she had to cook. I am sure she had but little. We look around towards the mountains and she called out oh Patience here is some Californians coming. And as thay got nearer to us I told her no thay are not Californians. It is Br Joseph A. Young from the valley . . . Seeing us out there Br Young ask how many is dead or how many is alive. I told him I could not tell. With tears streaming down his face he ask whare is your captains tent.

One final example of Patience’s writing is a fascinating description of a man named George Grant, another member of the rescue party. By this time, the company was camped at a place called Devil’s Gate, where an assortment of abandoned huts were being used for fires. As a reader, I’ve come across multiple references to George Grant and the role he played in the rescue, but nothing I have read has been as effective at making George feel like a real person as the little bit of dialogue Patience recorded.

One day I well remember we had avery hard days travel and we came to Devels Gate that night to camp . . . Brother George Grant was there. He told us all to stand back for he was going to knock down one of those log huts to make fiars for us. For he sais you are not going to freeze to night. Now he called out again stand back and said this night I have the strength of a giant. I never fealt so strong before in my life. And at once he raised his axe and with one blow he knocked in the whole front of the building took each log and split in four pieces and gave each family one piece. Oh such crawding for wood. Some would have taken more than one piece but Bro Grant told them to hold on and not to be greedy. There was some that had not got any yet. He said there is one sister standing back waiting very patintly and she must have some. I called out Yes brother Grant my name is Patince and I have waited with patience. He laugh and said give that sister some wood and let her go and make afiar. I was very thankfull to get wood. I had waited so long that my clothing was stiff and my old stockings and shoes seemed frozen on my feet and legs.

Try It in Your Own Writing

The FamilySearch Memories Gallery makes it easy to write and save your memories. You don’t have to write 20 pages in one sitting. You can write two or three short paragraphs. When you’re ready, try writing about something specific that happened to you. Focus on describing things readers can see, hear, taste, touch, or smell. Little by little these memories add up, and before you know it, you have a substantial, meaningful history to share with others.

Here are a few prompts to get you started:

What is an important or perhaps humorous conversation you recently had with a child, parent, or other family member?

What is something scary that happened to you, and how did you respond?

What is something that happened to you at work or school that you will never forget?

Source: Kenneth W. Godfrey, Audrey M. Godfrey, and Jill Mulvay Derr, eds., Women’s Voices: An Untold History of the Latter-day Saints, 1830–1900 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1982), 222–42.

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kkumarsatyam · 6 years

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Science, Religion and …..Hinduism ?

Much of the eastern civilization has not seen the discourse on Science vs. Religion in a similar modus operandi as the contemporary western civilization. Much of the speculation regarding the reason behind this asymmetry is centered around the differences between cultural and societal tendencies towards progress. Some times, it may be driven by prejudice and chauvinism, other times, it may just be a casual stereotyping. But it is existent nevertheless. “Our society is better than theirs, hence it is in their backwardness to stay religious“, this kind of mentality is not scarce. I may attempt to revive the fact that religion is not just another form of a comic-con like activity that we are obsessed with, while maintaining the subjectivity of a practicing Hindu.

It is very natural to romanticize some particular things, people or time. We develop a tendency to pronounce the merits of an entity and find excuses for its drawbacks. Cultural jingoism is merely an exaggerated phenomenon of the same. But often, negative ethnocentrism does emanate from cross cultural interactions and finally xenophobia perpetuates into the system to the extent that individuals develop low esteem towards their parent culture, which ends up being worryingly destructive for that particular culture. The game with religion, is not so simple however.

From an oversimplification of the thought process of major world religions like Christianity and Islam, it seems to me that there exists, a single story, from which most of their doctrines derive. From a scientific perspective, these stories in turn, deliver an impression of having their genesis in morality and intentions for an optimized societal growth.

For example, in ancient world, patriarchy was inevitable in order to achieve optimum economic growth, since states were war-centered and women were required to be the instruments to hold the house and raise the kids. And religion validated this subtle proffer. The examples can be very obviously noticed in Hindu narratives as well. The stories where women have given up their life to defend their husband’s honor, and stories where women have walked through fire to prove their fidelity. All religions have time and again, glorified man worshiping. Since the modern society needs more doctors and engineers, and other gender neutral professionals, there is no wonder that questioning this particular doctrine of all religions has become so obviously necessary.

Same goes with morality as well. To maintain order in the society, a system was needed where there had to be an all-mighty all-powerful God, who is all good and benevolent, and will punish the wrongdoers. The belief in heaven and hell and so many other fables actually led to a morally abiding civilization. Who knows for fact that even if a God exists, he/she may actually be apathetic towards his/her own creation ?

But there is a major difference between Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions. The stories and narratives in Abrahamic religions are existentially essential to themselves whereas religions like Greek, Norse and Hinduism do not even fit in the description of “religion” from certain perspective.

To make it clear, I am a Christian only if I wholly believe in the narrative of how Adam and Eve committed the original sin of disobedience by consuming the forbidden fruit in the garden of Eden. And how it damned their pro-genies for all eternity. And how God later incarnated as his own son Jesus, from virgin Mary, who then suffered to atone for the original sin. And how humans, children of Adam and Eve, who are originally sinners by birth, can only be “saved” from eternal damnation by believing in this narrative and believing that Jesus suffered for us. The people believing other wise will be damned to a christian hell for all eternity for the original sin committed by Adam and Eve.

Now, I might insult the sentiments of Christians if I say Jesus was a homosapien born of Mary and Joseph, and not from the divine father. Or if I say that we did not descend from Adam and Eve, but we have evolved from early primates, as suggested by scientific and empirical evidences. This is exactly the much popular discourse in the modern western world where scientific temperament asks for a boycott of religion.

The reason why this discourse is not as popular in pagan cultures is because of the relative importance of their narratives in the entire religion. The stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata have an imperative but non-paramount role in building Hinduism. The doctrines of Hinduism do not ask for an authority to validate someone as a Hindu. So, technically you can be a Hindu without actually believing that somebody really lifted an entire mountain on his pinkie. Or somebody had the power of replacing his decapitated head with a fresh one from the pool of ten heads he had received as a boon. A Hindu, unlike a Christian doesn’t need to believe in this story to call himself a Hindu.

Besides, the narratives themselves have a contrast. While Christianity teaches that we all are originally sinners, Hinduism teaches that we all are originally divine, and that the divine consciousness(Brahman) and the self(Atman) are only separated by illusion(Maya), but are actually all the same. Hinduism just tells us to realize the divinity within ourselves. Yet this description is non mandatory for a Hindu to affiliate to.

So what is Hinduism, or any other religion about? Is it just about God?

Actually, religion is much more than theology or mythology. Religion affects us in our daily lives more than we can imagine. It affects us directly if we let it and it affects us indirectly through the people around us. All religions have a role in fulfilling the necessity of constructing moral obligations. I fully agree with Sam Harris that science is enough as a guide towards morality. But the important thing to remember is that if A can replace or substitute B, it does not mean that A can also replace C. The Science vs Religion discourse makes sense only in a mutually contradicting scenario, where one strictly contradicts the other. It is impossible for Science and Religion to go hand in hand only if the religion is dogmatically resistant to science. But if the religion is resilient, instead of being resistant towards science, mutual co-existence is very much plausible. Religion can have a supernumerary role in determining moral values as it has done for centuries already. But it has to be non-dogmatic.

Now the question naturally arises, that if one does not believe in a creator God and one openly declares to be an agnostic or an atheist, how does religion then catch up? This can be answered by a very unique religion, you guessed it right, Hinduism.

There are six orthodox and three heterodox schools of Indian philosophy. You may be surprised to know that eight out of these nine schools of thought are actually atheistic. Not even agnostic, but strictly atheistic. Only one of these schools (Vedanta) leads way to worshiping a creator deity, and that too in various forms like monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, deism, pan-deism, etc.

Many notable and eminent personalities have identified themselves as Hindu Atheists, such as the eminent economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. The point to be noted here is that a Hindu Atheist is different from a regular Atheist. It should not be confused with an atheist who is culturally Hindu. For example, a person who does not believe in the existence of God but celebrates Holi and Diwali is not necessarily a Hindu Atheist. From this viewpoint, even Muslim atheists and Christian atheists can exist, which actually sounds nonsensical. Somebody who celebrates thanksgiving and Christmas, but does not believe in the divinity of Christ, can be called an Atheist, but who is culturally christian. But an Atheist cannot be Christian. A Hindu Atheist is somebody who uses specific methods and texts, to build his or her disbelief in the existence of God, just as how believers build their own belief. They adhere to a school of philosophy in the Indian thought, although it isn’t much popular in today’s world. Other atheists are usually the people who are presented with religious teachings, but decide not to consider them seriously.

I personally identify as Agnostic. The idea of confidently claiming that this is the ultimate physical realm, and it does not need an intelligent creator, when science can’t already answer all the questions of the universe, is simply too overwhelming for me. According to me, Atheism has a similar burden of proof to reach as Theism. And, God does need to show more often to take me to the side of strong believers.

So, now that it is clear that Hinduism is not dogmatic or perverse to new ideas, what has the scope reduced to?

It is actually unfair to say that the scope of Hinduism will be reduced. A religion in which the narratives are independent and not much embedded into the central thought will only metamorphose into a perfect pro-scientific culture. Stories will still play an important role. The concepts of Karma Yoga as mentioned in the Bhagvada Purana and the concept of Nyay and Mimasa can have no heresy. Somethings are simply highly objective.

Maybe there was no eighteen day long bloody battle which reddened the soil of Kurukshetra but the strong character developments of the people in the epic of Mahabharata have left behind more lessons than a dozen teachers in our real life. Making the point to argue about the authenticity of the stories is injustice to the composers of these stories. It doesn’t matter if they are true or not, what matters is the way they have dealt with intricate concepts and complex problems of philosophy, and the tremendous teachings they have left behind.

Same cannot be said about the narratives of other major world religions though, since their narratives are binding to their doctrines. And in such a case it is not irrelevant to argue about the authenticity of such a narrative, since logic may be compromised with such an approach. The mythology shall have a greater chance of survival in such religions which do not dogmatize their narratives, as the scientific age augments further. Religion is supposed to be a guide instead of a rule-book.

Hinduism has always been a great tool of worship for believers through the concept of personalized Gods and Goddesses but it is no doubt that it shall remain as great a tool for skeptics and rationals too. It shall provide discipline to skeptics (what religions mostly do), and provide both hope and discipline to believers. And to people like me, it shall continue to be a source of mysterious admiration. It is no doubt, that one can be religious without being spiritual.

Kumar Satyam July 11th 2018

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allineednow · 6 years

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<p>15 Survival Films To Teach Your Children Prepping</p>

You've got children and if you are into prepping, it would be smart to start teaching them disaster preparedness at an early age. There is nothing better than growing up awake and prepared to face the unexpected, particularly.

Having basic survival skills from a young age could be movies that are survival and priceless are a quintessential tool to use in this endeavor, as they combine learning with having.

Of course, watching movies shouldn't replace other "real life" activities, like going camping with your bambinos.

Teaching your children to survive on their own for a couple of days in an outdoors situation is hugely significant, not to mention that a camping trip builds confidence in their ability to be self sufficient, and also raises awareness in their personal hygiene in an off-grid scenario.

Furthermore, they'll learn to be alert about the presence of wildlife that is dangerous and so forth and so on.

It's also worth mentioning that playing outside is essential for sparking a kid's imagination (as opposed to pecking at TV/smartphones/tablets all day), as a pile of sand will quickly turn into a shore where the pirates of the Caribbean buried their treasures, and the trees and bushes behind the house morph into a luscious jungle, where creatures drift free, you know what I am talking about.

However, survival movies can be successfully utilised to prepare/teach your children ahead of their real-life experiences, especially if they're very young. So, let the games begin.

My number one choice is Walt Disney's Swiss Family Robinson, a film released back in 1960 and recommended for ages 8 and up. This Disney classic makes for the best dream for a prepper's family. The film revolves around building a intricate tree home on a Paradise-like tropical island, playing creatures (they are friendly, no worries), but also protecting it against pirates by using quite sophisticated booby traps.

Let's move to a more recent flick: Nim's Island, a PG rated film released back in 2008 (ages 8 and up), which makes for a contemporary thriller about a girl (Nim) and her dad, a science man, both living in their private island. After her father goes missing during a storm, Nim is abandoned (almost) alone on the island to take care of herself, with a little help from an agoraphobic visitor, but I will not spoil it for you.

If you're looking for a fantastic wilderness story for children, Far from Home: The Adventures of Yellow Dog comes highly recommended. Released in 1995, the film tells the story of a boy and his puppy living in the wilderness and it highlights the importance of self reliance, practical skills and the value of understanding how to survive outdoors.

Cast Away is one of Tom Hanks' best movies, as it explores a modern day's man ability to survive in an extremely hostile environment, yet it encompasses almost zero violence, which makes it perfect for children.

Everything in this film is based on a Federal Express engineer whose airplane crashes into the ocean, forcing him to live on a remote and deserted island in the middle of nowhere. This is a modern-day Robinson Crusoe's story of survival and it is also massive fun.

The Day After Tomorrow is a catastrophic flick which depicts a world collapsing after the world experiences a dramatic climatic shift, which causes a new ice-age (what happened to global warming?) . The movie is extremely interesting (read special effects) as it depicts a frozen America from coast to coast, while emphasizing the importance of survival skills in sub zero temperatures, planning ahead and using good equipment at the ready if SHTF.

The Day After Tomorrow is a but as far as I recall, there's no violence. However, there are some scenes depicting injuries, and some characters drink alcohol as a way to mitigate their sadness after watching the devastation of much of the world as they knew it.

The Impossible is a very tragic survival film which tells the story of the 2004 Tsunami that obliterated parts of Thailand. The Impossible is focused in Thailand, whose members were split up which makes for a true story of the men and women who had to remain alive through an SHTF event that was incredible. The story is extremely intense and the film is rated PG 13 because of the fact that people suffering injuries are occasionally depicted by it.

A Cry from the Wild is a nineties flick about the only survivor (a 13 year old boy) of a plane crash that got unreported. The hero's name is Brian as he's all alone, and the film is about him trying to live by his own wits. Your children will learn survival skills from this picture: how to find food in an outdoors situation to find shelter until you are found and also how to stay away from dangerous animals.

Against the Wild is a 2013 "lost in the wilderness" movie after a plane crash (this is a recurrent theme, you can not help it) about 2 siblings (teenagers) and their loyal dog. The trio must learn to combine their skills in order to navigate an beautiful and untamed terrain, and to trust their instincts. The battle for survival is kind of mild and pretty boring for my taste, but given the fact that this is a family movie, it contains zero violence, hence it is perfectly acceptable for your children, being filled with positive messages and having positive role models.

Life of Pi tells the story of a young man's epic journey of discovery and adventure after surviving a disaster at sea. As he's cast away, he makes an unexpected friend, a Bengal tiger (another survivor).

The movie is terrific for children, as the heroes are trying to survive against all odds as it makes for an emotional story of friendship and faith. There is virtually no violence, sexual content nor strong language in Life of Pi, while its CGI makes it as the story grows, a powerful movie that will make your children cheer in triumph or shed a tear.

Twister is a nineties disaster flick about a few storm-chasers that are trying to construct a state of the art weather alert system by putting themselves in the way of violent tornadoes. While you'll find some violence and strong language here and there, the film is very fun to watch overall, and your children will be taught everything there is to know about the dangers of tornadoes (read severe weather conditions).

The Blue Lagoon is a film made in the eighties about two 7 year old cousins who survive a shipwreck and find themselves deserted on a beautiful island in the Pacific. The film is based initially on the fundamentals of survival, but later on it evolves into a love story, as the couple slowly discovers love, sex and loneliness in this incredibly beautiful paradise.

Lost in the Barrens makes for another "lost in the Canadian wilderness" survival tale about a Cree Indian boy and a white teen working together in sweet harmony in order to get through alive.

Wall-E is one of Pixar's best, a romantic adventure movie, full of action and ecological subliminal messages, which makes it ideal for the young prepper. Your children will learn the importance of recycling and scavenging in a fun way, i.e. understanding how to make the most out of your trash, endure loneliness and finding hope in a SHTF atmosphere.

The Wave is a rare Norwegian disaster movie about an implausible SHTF situation, i.e. a fjord collapses and creates a tsunami, with our heroes getting caught in the midst of it and trying to survive.

Flight of the Phoenix tells the gripping story of the survivors of a plane crash with zero chance of rescue, who work together as they are attempting to construct a new plane in the Mongolian desert. The action takes place in a harsh (even brutal) environment, with scarce resources and it features a self-defense scene, as our heroes are attacked by desert smugglers.

The principal lesson is that strong and loyal folks that are dedicated to working together for a common goal in a SHTF situation will survive almost anything.

These movies are good at describing that you struck when you least expect it but not giving up and always thinking positive is what matters in a SHTF situation. That is the mindset that would help your children survive, beside the skills that they're being taught by you!

I hope that the article helped. Feel free to comment in the dedicated section below in case you have recommendations or thoughts.

This article has been written by Chris Black for Survivopedia.

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vitalmindandbody · 7 years

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Premier League 2016 -1 7 season critique: our writers’ most effective and worsts

Our writers take stock after the Premier League season, reputation the most appropriate actor, finest purpose, most entertaining match, biggest gripe and much more

Best musician

Daniel Taylor : NGolo Kant. If he was able to impede Cesc Fbregas out of the Chelsea team, he must be some player.

Barney Ronay: Friendly midfield interceptors are the style, but Harry Kane has been the outstanding single actor: top scorer, squad “mens and” with just enough comic-book star quality.

Dominic Fifield : Eden Hazard, liberated by Antonio Contes swap in arrangement, provisioned the cut and thrust which invigorated Chelsea to their title success. Given his toils last season as he struggled with a hip complaint, his resurrection was eye-catching. Paul Wilson : It perhaps doesnt content which Chelsea candidate gets the vote, so in the interests of sharing happens around I am going to go for Csar Azpilicueta. He seems to be able to play in any prestige across the back boundary and his consistency and diligence are unaffected. Amy Lawrence : If you could bottle the minds of the Kant and sell it to football clubs it would be a bestseller. He has an ability to reach others around him better, to make a game plan quicker. The lane he carried his Leicester character so easily to Chelsea, to be transformative instantly, deserves all the plaudits. Barry Glendenning : Jordan Pickford. Merely in Sunderlands first team because David Moyes was unable to lure Joe Hart on loan to Wearside, the 23 -year-old plucked off the impressive accomplishment of obliging himself one of the most sought-after young goalkeepers in Europe despite invited to participate in the Premier Leagues worst unit. Although hes prone to the increasingly rare error, its hard to picking faults in the various aspects of Pickfords overall game and its no exaggeration to say that without him, Sunderland might well have been demoted before the sighting of this springs first swallow. David Hytner : Eden Hazard. Back to his very best. Its capability to attain certain differences when it matters the most markers him out. Scott Murray : Diego Costa continued Chelsea going throughout the autumnal journey that are actually decided the league, all the while staying in reference as pantomime provocateur. Homeric. Well miss his entertaining proximity where reference is moved.

Jamie Jackson: Dele Alli. Seventeen Premier League aims at 175 times per ten-strike for a No10 is top class. At 21, a participate with that shape all nobility musicians own has to get better.

Andy Hunter: Eden Hazard. The endorses were not simply a exceedingly defensive unit, as a former administrator carry sour grapes recommended. They were also the most devastating and intelligent squad in the final third thanks predominantly to the Belgium internationals return to form.

Chelseas Eden Hazard has been back to his best this season. Image: Darren Walsh/ Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Louise Taylor: Sam Clucas, Hull City; runner up, David Luiz, Chelsea. There are other, far more obvious, candidates but placed in the context of Clucass achievement in ascending five reverberates of the tournament ladder in successive seasons it has to be the left-footed midfielder. Impressive since being altered from a wide role to central midfield this expression, the intelligence of Clucass transferring accepts the specific characteristics of Glenn Hoddle, who coaxed him not to give up the game before honing his sciences at his football academy in Spain. David Luiz, meanwhile, is lovely to watch and his re-invention in Antonio Contes back three has exhaustively perplexed the doubters.

Stuart James: Gylfi Sigurdsson. Directly involved in 22 of Swansea Citys 43 destinations. For a participate to repeatedly create and tally so many objectives in a crew that spent virtually the entire season engaging relegation is quite something.

Jacob Steinberg : After last-place seasons sabbatical, Eden Hazard rediscovered his mojo in stimulating mode and noticed the consistency to go with his outrageous flair. NGolo Kant was a deserving recipient of the PFA and FWA awards, but Hazard was Chelseas match-winner on so many occasions.

Paul Doyle: Kasper Schmeichel. While the rest of last seasons endorses lost their method, the goalkeeper was the only Leicester player to improve. Yes, there was that 6-1 win by Spurs but, taking a broader attitude, Schmeichel was an example to us all in these agitated times.

Simon Burnton : The brilliant, hard-working, humble and likeable NGolo Kant deserves all the player-of-the-season awards currently cluttering his mantelpiece. Ed Aarons : NGolo Kant deserves his awards for triumphing a second consecutive Premier League title, but Christian Eriksens return to flesh coincided with Tottenhams emergence as Chelseas exclusively sincere challengers. Even 13 abets and eight Premier League points do not explain the importance of the Denmark international to Mauricio Pochettino. Csar Azpilicueta likewise deserves a mention.

Sachin Nakrani : Gylfi Sigurdsson. The Iceland international directly contributed to almost half of Swanseas Premier League points and, quite simply, without him they would have been demoted, tolerating all the fallout that comes with that, which, it should be remembered, includes beings losing their jobs.

Best administrator

Daniel Taylor : Antonio Conte. Even Jos Mourinho has stopped temporarily, at least trying to undercut him. How, maybe, can anyone question what he has to be undertaken to get Chelsea back on top?

Barney Ronay: Antonio Conte. Hurled together on the hoof a wonderfully well-grooved champ squad, eased John Terry out of the picture without the slightest friction and on accord daytimes remains the most ridiculously evoked guy about anything ever.

Dominic Fifield : Antonio Conte. In a league crammed with nobility managers, he adapted excellent to the peculiarities of the Premier League and objective up putting all the other big names to shame.

Paul Wilson : It was going to be Marco Silva until a few weeks ago, but now Hull are back in the real world after a short visit to dreamland there seems no item in ogling past the obvious. Antonio Conte could hardly have hoped for a better first season in England. In terms of impact, it tells it all that he can now match Carlo Ancelottis double as well as Jos Mourinhos Premier League record of winnings in a season.

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Antonio Conte: Chelsea’s brand-new Special One? video

Amy Lawrence : Conte. From the very first recreation of the Premier League expedition where reference is celebrated a late win over West Ham with that zealous touchline heat, he has managed almost every situation with power, class and style. In tactical modifications and serviceman management, wreaking best available out of characters as different as David Luiz, Diego Costa, Victor Moses and Pedro, he scarcely missed a beat. Barry Glendenning : Antonio Conte. Charming and handsome, with the touchline demeanour of a humanity who has just had a large few of blood-red ants discontinued down the trousers of his expensive designer dres, the issue is little to dislike about Chelseas manager. His switch to a back three following the completion of defeat at Arsenal has been acclaimed in some quarters as the greatest managerial masterstroke in the history of football and while that are likely to be over-egging the pudding quite, the manner in which he steered his team to the title with a minimum of fuss in a season when one or more of Messrs Klopp, Mourinho and Guardiola were expected to have his measure was no aim feat. David Hytner : Antonio Conte. It has been another enormously impressive season for Mauricio Pochettino but Contes has to get better. Took over a Chelsea squad with problems and, in what has been his first season outside of Italy, moulded them into champions. Scott Murray : Heres a respectful nod to Arsne Wenger, who in addition to yet another high-pitched league place and yet another cup final, somehow retained super-human high levels of glory despite intense provocation from an entitled minority. An astonishing feat. His is likely to be much the very best examine when this history is told 20 times from now.

Jamie Jackson: Antonio Conte. He coached the volatile Costa to 20 conference objectives and may acquire the classic English double in his debut season.

Andy Hunter: Conte is the stand-out selection , is not simply for triumphing the Premier League title in his first season in English football but for how he responded to potential junctures notably the 3-0 defeat at Arsenal and Januarys stand-off with Costa.

Louise Taylor: Sean Dyche, Burnley. Antonio Conte clearly has a strong speciman while, despite narrowly failing to keep Hull up, Marco Silva passed irrigate into wine-colored in east Yorkshire. Then theres Mauricio Pochettino, whose Tottenham team play superb football on around half the collective wage proposal of other top six backs, but preventing Burnley in the Premier League is a significant achievement. Payed the same relatively limited resources as Dyche, would Jos Mourinho or Pep Guardiola have done anything like as well?

Sean Dyches Burnley “ve never” truly been threatened with relegation this season so good has their residence chassis been. Photo: Lee Smith/ Reuters

Stuart James: Antonio Conte. Hugely impressive to triumph the deed in his first season in English football tactically astute, full of affection for the game and get the impression that every musician, even those not regularly in his starting XI, buys into his work.

Jacob Steinberg : A nod to Sean Dyche for deterring Burnley away from the relegation scrap, but it has to be Conte, who outperformed his competitives by resurrecting a misfiring, uneven force with the influence of his motivational tones, tactical acumen and virulent are willing to win.

Paul Doyle: Sean Dyche. Burnley never looked like going down, which is remarkable.

Simon Burnton : Great as Tottenham was again working under Mauricio Pochettino, Antonio Contes wallop at Chelsea has been greater. Ed Aarons : Antonio Conte. The Italian simply been able to reach Stamford Bridge a month before Chelseas first activity of the season but has emerged as a entitle winner in his first season in English football. The was changed to 3-4-3 has defined Contes success but the former Juventus midfielder has also demonstrated his man-management skills in its dealings with Diego Costas regular tantrums. Sachin Nakrani : Antonio Conte. Winning the entitle in your first season in England is a superb achievement, particularly when it commits reinvigorating a crew that had been in turmoil during the previous campaign.

Best goal

Daniel Taylor : Olivier Girouds scorpion kick for Arsenal against Crystal Palace. Barney Ronay : Girouds operating scorpion attack, a charming move and a incongruous finish, made all the more preposterous by the fact he seems to stop mid-scorpion to winch his leg up a bit higher, like a very stiff serviceman trying to slunk his path over a garden fence. Dominic Fifield : Eden Hazard against Arsenal, sprinting away from Laurent Koscielny and holding off Francis Coquelins attempts to drawing him down, then finishing before Shkodran Mustafi could block. Paul Wilson : Sam Allardyce will have been more concerned about some unconvincing Crystal Palace defending, but Andy Carrolls overhead kicking against Crystal Palace takes some lash for wow point. Not a crew objective, perhaps, but Carroll set a lot of himself into it.

Amy Lawrence : The Emre Can/ Giroud/ Henrikh Mkhitaryan showpieces lead the way for individualism, but there was something that struck a chord about Willians goal for Chelsea at Everton in video games that appeared so influential for the entitlement. What a fine unit point. The character of Cesc Fbregass lope and pass for Willian summed up the brio Chelsea rediscovered this season. That was the moment they appeared undeniably like champs again.

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How the 2016 -1 7 Premier League title was prevailed by Chelsea video

Barry Glendenning : Gastn Ramrez. Maybe not the best, but almost certainly the only happening in the best interests any Middlesbrough footballer did all season Ramrezs fine solo struggle cast goal-shy Boro on their lane to their first dwelling prevail. Picking up the ball inside his own half and encouraged by the unusual reluctance of anyone in a Bournemouth shirt to open him down, the Uruguayan started on a 70 -yard run down the inside left that climaxed with him unexpectedly cutting inside and slotting residence. Buoyed by this rare minute of quality and muse, Middlesbrough went on to triumph three more Premier League competitions, while their increasingly unpopular summertime contract would go on to tallied only one more aim as his side sank below the depths. David Hytner : Andy Carroll v Crystal Palace. Nothing has the ability to fetch jaws to the storey more quickly than the clunk scissor kick. Especially whilst it is executed by a big man. Scott Murray : Olivier Giroud against Palace. A finish so nonsensical its easy to forget the six-player pitch-long cavort that predated it, exaggerated by a centre-circle back-flick from Giroud himself. English footballs most eye-catching sweep forward since Terry McDermott tallied against Spurs in 1978.

Jamie Jackson: Henrikh Mkhitaryans scorpion kick versus Sunderland on Boxing Day. Zlatan Ibrahimovic pings a cross over from the right and the Armenian makes proceed a running back-heeled volley. Delicious.

Andy Hunter: Dimitri Payet, West Ham United v Middlesbrough. Other purposes carried more weight in the context of the season Emre Can against Watford and Eden Hazards v Arsenal being the most notable illustrations but based purely on its merits this momentary remember of a better quality the France international could bring to the Premier League had no equals.

Louise Taylor: Robert Snodgrass v Leicester City. The win in a 2-1 disturbance opening-day win against the defending champions for Mike Phelans side. When Wes Morgan could only half-clear Ahmed Elmohamadys inhuman cross, the pellet descended to Snodgrass whose first-time, left footed, half-volley arrowed into the bottom corner.

Stuart James: Emre Cans bicycle kick against Watford must take some vanquish. In fairness, Olivier Girouds scorpion kick against Palace is also worthy of a mention.

Emre Can lets wing with a sumptuous overhead kick against Watford. Photograph: John Walton/ PA

Jacob Steinberg : Gaston Ramrezs slaloming 70 -yard run against Bournemouth ended with a ingeniou manoeuvre and a cool finish. Sure, Andy Carroll, Olivier Giroud and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all took the breather away to those used scorpion kicks and bicycle explodes. But in an otherwise grisly season for Middlesbrough, the facts of the case Ramrezs solo effort was a uncommon time of excitement realizes it all the more precious. Simon Burnton : Olivier Girouds New Years Day scorpion kicking wasnt even Januarys goal of the month, and there are a few rival volleys that compare with it, but to my subconsciou it is the best of the knot. It has grown on the scorer as much as it has grown on me: after the game he said he was a bit luck. It was the only thing I could do. I tried to smacked it with a backheel and after it was all about fluke, but by March he was saying: I dont wishes to large-hearted myself up but purposes like mine leave a mark on biography. Andy Carrolls[ overhead kick] is magnificent, but perhaps beings wont remember it in “two years time” experience. Mine, yes.

Paul Doyle: Wayne Rooney against Stoke. It was a inferno of a acces to snatch a late equaliser, given a wonderful chronicle and persuade Jos Mourinho he could eventually jilt an over-the-hill hero.

Ed Aarons : In a season of splendid attacks, Emre Can saved best available for last. His brilliant overhead kick against Watford left nothing to possibility, unlike Olivier Giroud or Henrikh Mkhitaryans scorpion kicks. Sachin Nakrani : Olivier Giroud v Crystal Palace. In a season of noticeable scorpion/ overhead kickings, this one lines it because of the slick counter-attack that preceded it and which Giroud was involved in as well as the height at which boot met dance prior to it looping into the net.

Best accord

Daniel Taylor : At the risk of seeming like a despair, its not easy to think of a stand-out equal this season. Nothing left me as evoked as, reply, encountering Monaco in the Champions League. Barney Ronay : Swansea 5-4 Crystal Palace. Messy, wild and hopeless at times, but this is basically what the Premier League is for. Dominic Fifield : Bournemouths madcap 4-3 win over Liverpool was entertaining, but Crystal Palaces triumph at Chelsea in April encapsulated everything about the baffling sort of the Premier League at times. Chelsea were exquisite going forward, playing wonderfully incisive and inventive football. Palace protected ruggedly and, somehow, stopped them out. Paul Wilson : The one that remains in the mind is Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea. An fateful and humorous competition, with some dead-eyed finishing by Chelsea to leave Pep Guardiola murmuring about Kevin de Bruynes miss for the rest of the season. A substantial name cursor at the Etihad too, for the second largest consecutive season following Leicesters statement win in February. Amy Lawrence : Swansea 5-4 Crystal Palace. Lovely, superb, beautiful, panicked madness. The excellent of the Bob Bradley experience. Alan Pardew trying to put on a courageous appearance. First on Match of the Day for an unanticipated play. Whats not to like?

Barry Glendenning: Bournemouth 4-3 Liverpool. They dont get much more entertainingthan this white-knuckle rideat the Vitality Stadium.

Leroy Fer scores during Swanseas rollercoaster 5-4 win over Crystal Palace. Photo: Christopher Lee/ Getty Images

David Hytner : Swansea v Crystal Palace. Never knowledge the defending at both ends, this was a classic, loaded with drama, and the vistums after Fernando Llorentes stoppage-time winner seems to shake the Liberty Stadium. Both of the managers, Bob Bradley and Alan Pardew, were sacked within a few months or so. Scott Murray : Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool. It genuinely wouldnt have taken often for the purposes of our competition to have ended 5-0, 0-5 or 5-5. One of those.

Jamie Jackson: Burnleys emphatic win over Liverpool at Turf Moor on the seasons second weekend punched a flaw in the entitle pretenses of Jrgen Klopps team and intimated Sean Dyches mortals would exist. Those auguries were proven correct.

Andy Hunter: Everton 4-0 Manchester City. Selecting from Premier League parallels attended, this raucous afternoon at Goodison Park stands out for many reasons. In Ronald Koemans gazes it was really perfect and a total team rendition from Everton. It corroborated the emergence of Tom Davies, who scored his first destination for the fraternity with an beautiful chipping over Claudio Bravo at the Gwladys Street end, and made a introduction destination for Ademola Lookman with one of the teenagers first touches in the Premier League. For Pep Guardiola, however, it highlighted the defensive and mental debilities at Manchester City, represented the heaviest tournament demolish of his managerial busines and left him conceding the entitle was beyond his team for this season.

Louise Taylor: If this symbolizes watched live, its a difficult one to react. As north-east correspondent Ive surely identified a few cases campaigners for worst competition at Sunderland and Middlesbrough and the better ones I covered invariably involved Newcastle United in the Championship. One top-tier play does stick in the reminiscence though; Hull 3-3 Crystal Palace in December. A six-goal thriller boasting a brilliant, mesmerising rendition from Palaces Wilfried Zaha.

Stuart James: Swansea City 5-4 Crystal Palace. A nine-goal thriller that was 1-1 with 25 times remaining then all inferno let loose. Bob Bradley and Alan Pardew, the respective directors, went through every excitement travelling and, in truth, it wasnt truly surprising that neither serviceman lasted long long in the number of jobs. For what its worth, the reporters at video games were also in a terrifying country come the end.

Jacob Steinberg : Crystal Palace 0-4 Sunderland. Sunderland were so surprised about scoring four goals in a single half that they didnt win another competition until they were already relegated. In their apology, Ive only just recovered from the outrage as well. Simon Burnton : Liverpools 4-3 win at the Emirates on the seasons opening weekend was everything you could question it to be and more. Good attacking, charming destinations from open romp, a gorgeous free kick, bright someone science, humiliating manager-hugging festivities, sunshine, it had the batch. The only possible reaction was yes satisfy, Ill have nine months more of that. Which, unhappily, neither crew could deliver.

Paul Doyle: Leicester 4-2 Manchester City. Thrilling and from time to time bright, but also odd, outrageous and ludicrous. A snapshot of this seasons Premier League.

Ed Aarons : Swansea 5-4 Palace. Extending 4-3 with the game past the 90 -minute mark, Alan Pardew must have appeared pretty good. His unit had just combated back from 3-1 down with simply 15 instants remaining to lead, simply to cede the points to Fernando Llorentes double in injury time. Sachin Nakrani : Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool. A high-octane, end-to-end, relentlessly-thrilling encounter simply let down by poor cease. A mention, more, for Swanseas 5-4 succes over Crystal Palace. A madcap encounter that viewed two points in strike season and Alan Pardew fearing the worst.

Best reviewer

Daniel Taylor : Keith Hackett. I view his reviews of the present harvest and wonder that he must never have made a mistake in his life. Barney Ronay : Clatts. Will be missed, in part for his unintentional humor, when he buds for Sauds. Dominic Fifield : Probably Martin Atkinson or Michael Oliver. Paul Wilson : No idea. They all appear the same to me. Gives do Martin Atkinson. Amy Lawrence : Michael Oliver doesnt seem to want to be the whiz as much as some. He gives the impression of craving the best activity possible.

Barry Glendenning : Mike Dean. His no-lookyellow card to Ross Barkley in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park was a act of beauty.

Referee Mike Deans no-look yellowed card paid attention to Ross Barkley was a occasion of glamour. Picture: Jason Cairnduff/ Reuters

David Hytner : I dont have strong believes on the two categories this season. Id still tell Mark Clattenburg is the best. Scott Murray : Referees are lightning rods for impotent thwarting, raging paranoia and shortsighted rage. Objective kudo doesnt come into it, its not what theyre there for.

Jamie Jackson: The video bureaucrat what a courageous invention. What? They still were not available despite everyone else having access to ad nauseam replays?

Andy Hunter: Any nomination will incur the rage of at the least one club though Anthony Taylor continues to improve so in the interests of peace lets just say its not Jon Moss.

Louise Taylor: Probably Mark Clattenburg( despite missing the latter part of the season following move to Saudi Arabia .)

Stuart James: Not much to get excited about here. Martin Atkinson, Mark Clattenburg( yes, I realise hes now run) and Michael Oliver would be in the top three. Oliver, on a good day, gets the nod.

Jacob Steinberg : Michael Oliver get my poll, capped by penalise Manchester Uniteds cynic rotational fouling on Hazard in the FA Cup. Simon Burnton : Mark Clattenburg. He sometimes looks like he thinks hes the best adjudicator in the territory, which is unappealing, but that doesnt realise him wrong.

Paul Doyle: Mike Dean. The only one to enforce the shirt-tugging directive with something close to consistency. And technology will never have affectations as entertaining as his.

Ed Aarons : Mark Clattenburg and Martin Atkinson typically get the biggest gigs from Uefa and Fifa, but Michael Oliver remains the superb referee in the country. Still only 32, the Ashington official has been in charge of more competitions( 31) than anyone and problem only two red-faced posters. Sachin Nakrani : Unlike 99% of people who watch football in this country, I dont have a strong deem on refs. They all seem roughly the same and their blunders, while rarely stunning, never entice me into reaching for a pitchfork.

Best signing

Daniel Taylor : Mamadou Sakho. Beings laughed when a January loan signing was nominated for Crystal Palaces participate of the season give. But without him Palace would be down. Barney Ronay : Leroy San. What a exquisite mover, what a calm head, what a nice young man. Seems to have no real limit to how good he could be. Dominic Fifield : NGolo Kant was key to Leicester Citys startling success in 2016, and just as influential to that of Chelsea in 2017. A blur of energy and interceptions, and at the heart of everything Chelsea have achieved. Paul Wilson : Where would Manchester United be without Zlatan Ibrahimovics contribution? Scarcely best available evaluate subscribe, and not exactly one for the future either, but until injury impressed he did what he had been brought in to do. Amy Lawrence : Hard to argue with Kant for overall wallop. Honourable mentions to Mamadou Sakho who made a big difference to Crystal Palaces quandary, and Gabriel Jesus for being a great signing who ogles bound to radiance more for Manchester City in future. Barry Glendenning : NGolo Kant. David Hytner : David Luiz. Has shown that underneath the mad mane lies an intelligent reader of video games. Has excelled in the middle of a back three. Long extend stands beautiful to watch. Scott Murray : Gabriel Jesus, a score-any-sort genius destined to clang in an ridiculous number of objectives. Had he not picked up that hurt in February, Manchester City would have given Chelsea a race.

Jamie Jackson: Eric Bailly. Manchester United seem to have replenished the Nemanja Vidic-sized gap created by his 2014 deviation. Expenditure 30 m from Villarreal, the Ivorian is a tough, reigning 23 -year-old who can be a fixture for a decade.

Andy Hunter: Paul Clement. Swansea City were foot and examining particular for relegation when they appointed their third director of awareness-raising campaigns in January. Astute ratifies such as Tom Carroll and persuading a crew to buy into yet another managerial expres enabled the former Bayern Munich assistant to have an impact that they are able condition a clubs short-term future.

Louise Taylor: Eric Bailly for Manchester United. At 30 m he wasnt cheaps but goodness knows how far United and Mourinho might have dropped without Baillys central defensive excellence.

Mamadou Sakho stops Alxis Snchez in his racetracks. The advocate altered Crystal Palace after his loan be removed from Liverpool. Picture: Matthew Childs/ Reuters

Stuart James: NGolo Kant would have to be up there, though it was a rather obvious piece of business on Chelseas part, given the Frenchmans influence at Leicester the season before. With that in brain, and taking it account the size of the fee, Ill go for Victor Wanyama, Tottenhams 11 m draft from Southampton.

Jacob Steinberg : On the basis that signal Kant was a no-brainer after last-place seasons manipulates, one has to admire Chelsea for establishing the render of David Luiz a success. Its easy to forget that there were abundance of doubts about the Brazilian where reference is signed on deadline daylight. Simon Burnton : Crystal Palace triumphed six of the 30 plays they played without Mamadou Sakho in their line-up this season, but five of the eight in which the Liverpool loanee showed, obstructing five clean membranes in the process( counting their 1-0 defeat at Spurs, in which he was forced off after 57 goalless hours and they conceded in the 78 th ). No other signing was so transformational. Paul Doyle : Mamadou Sakho. Liverpool outcast, Crystal Palace saviour. Ed Aarons : Hard discussing this with NGolo Kant for 30 m, who assigned from one blue-blooded title-winning shirt to another with minimum of fuss. Victor Wanyama, 11 m from Southampton, has had almost the same effect for Tottenham, albeit for a third of the price. Sachin Nakrani : Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I was among the people who speculated the 35 -year-old, while undeniably talented, would struggle in England. Instead “hes having” gone on to become one of the best free deliveries in Premier League history.

Worst dud

Daniel Taylor : Pep Guardiola. Maybe our possibilities were too high but, after all that awaiting, it has been a real displeasure. Claudio Bravo comes a close second, which are likely summarizes the point. Barney Ronay : Claudio Bravo of course, the first goalkeeper Ive ever seen receive an sardonic round of clapping from his own love for making a save.

Dominic Fifield : Moussa Sissoko has hardly pulled up any trees since becoming Tottenham Hotspurs record signing, which has not come as much of a surprise to those who watched him regularly at Newcastle United.

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Paul Wilson : The serviceman who was tired of London. Dimitri Payet was a big letdown at West Ham United. The clubs 2015 -1 6 actor of its first year and muse for a stadium mural at the least ought to have been able to manage a full season before leaving. Amy Lawrence : Jointly gifted to Manchester United and Arsenal, neither of whom were able to attach a serious challenge for the Premier League title despite banking heavily last summertime to apparently boost their push.

Barry Glendenning: Pep Guardiola. Assignment with his most difficult job in managing in so far, even by his own admission the Manchester City manager has come up woefully short.

David Hytner : Simone Zaza. His outlandish retribution at the Euros for Italy was simply the prelude. Saw his lend spell at West Ham United cut short after 11 accords and no goals because, had he played a little bit more, the golf-club would have had to buy him outright. Moved to Valencia in January. Scott Murray : Pep Guardiola arrived here England with a big honour … for being super-surly in press conferences. His splendid derision for daft queries has at times glitter through this was simply stately but has still not been with Fergie or Louis van Gaal levels of consistency. Hes got the press corps rattled, though, if the repeated produce of the subject on the Sunday Supplement is anything to go by. He now needs to go in for the kill.

Jamie Jackson: Claudio Bravo. Pep Guardiola perhaps blew Manchester Citys the expectations of winning anything in his first season when bombing out Joe Hart and 14.5 m for the Chilean on 25 August. Bravo in a word? Hapless.

Andy Hunter: Claudio Bravo. There were more expensive corrects than the Manchester City goalkeeper Tottenhams 30 m outlay on Moussa Sissoko for example but his recruitment was fundamental to how Pep Guardiola saw his first season in the Premier League and only serve to undermine it. That is not to say it was a mistake to supersede Joe Hart, who has toiled at Torino, merely that Bravo was the incorrect choice.

Louise Taylor: Moussa Sissoko, Tottenham Hotspur. Rafael Bentez is rightly proud of coaxing Spurs to part with 30 m for a midfielder who played a big part in Newcastle Uniteds relegation last year and whose Euro 2016 cameos for France flattered to fool. Indeed when HMRC recently attacked St James Park, club faculty joked about whether they were investigating the fraud of 30m from Spurs.

Stuart James: A few in the mixture here Borja Bastn at Swansea, Jordon Ibe at Bournemouth and Ahmed Musa at Leicester all come to mind. But Claudio Bravo, Manchester Citys 17 m goalkeeper, is surely the standout nominee. What were you thinking of, Pep?